The Healer's Student
by BeautyAndStrength
Summary: Edlyn, a young healer from Rohan, answers a summons from Gandalf the Grey to accompany Thorin Oakenshield and his company on their quest to reclaim the lost kingdom of Erebor. It is a decision that flings her into many strange and unexpected adventures, including falling in love and other perils. Rated T for some graphic violence, mild swearing, nudity and sexual content later.
1. Book I CH 1: Arrival

**A/N: This entire series (no joke) was originally written as a reader insert on DeviantArt that my muse, for some odd reason, wanted to share on as well. However, since doesn't allow interactive stories like reader inserts, I revised the whole series and turned the reader into an OC and added some extra stuff into the narrative. So if it seems like I'm updating this very fast, that's because I already had most of this series written and simply revised each chapter. Just a warning, this series is very long. It is split up into three parts, called books (one for each film), and each book has anywhere between 20 to 30 chapters (in other words, the longest reader insert in existence). So if you're ever passing by DA, feel free to look up the original story.**

 **This will mainly follow the movies with some stuff from the book added here and there as well as a lot of my own stuff too.**

 **Don't let the description fool you. This story will not be nearly as simple as it sounds.**

* * *

 **The Hobbit belongs to J.R.R Tolkien. I do not own it. I just own the OCs involved in this story. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **~Arrival~**

" _Blast it all! Wrong house again!"_

She internally cursed to herself as she stood at the door of the wrong hobbit hole, talking to the wrong hobbit, for the third time that evening.

Inhaling deeply, the young woman somehow managed to keep her frustration concealed with a smile as she politely apologized to the gentleman hobbit who had answered the door. She then asked him where she could find the hobbit she was looking for, the one known as Bilbo Baggins.

"He lives at Bag-End. About five houses up that way." He pointed down the path.

She thanked him again and turned to leave. As she did, he scowled at her and muttered something indistinct, but she didn't bother to find out what it was, because honestly she didn't care. It had been a long journey and she was tired. After he had closed the door, she let out an exasperated sigh, running her fingers through some loose strands of her long, curly brunette hair which was pulled up in a braid as she walked back down the paved walkway and through the fence gate.

"Sorry friend, it looks like we've arrived at the wrong house, again." She said to her traveling companion.

Said traveling companion turned his big, brown eyes to her, lifted his head and let out a whinny. She smiled and patted the horse on the neck, running her fingers through his thick mane. "It appears that we're going to have to keep on walking."

The horse snorted and shook his head; obviously he wasn't too happy about it either, since he was tired as well.

"I'm with you, Silver." She said. "This is all Gandalf's fault. He said that we just had to find the hobbit hole with the mark on the door. But he failed to specify what kind of mark and what it looked like. That blasted wizard is always leaving details out. I swear, sometimes I think he does that on purpose just to mess with us. But if it keeps up, I'm going to lose my sanity."

She shivered in the cold night air and pulled her cloak tighter around herself before grabbing the reigns and leading Silver, her horse, up the path. She didn't bother to get on his back and ride him because she decided that there was no point since they were so close to their destination. Plus, she figured that poor Silver was worn out from having carried her all the way to the Shire, so she decided to give him a rest.

"And it doesn't help that every single hobbit hole looks exactly the same." She said to Silver as she walked up the path with him in tow. "I know that hobbits are somewhat simple creatures, but I didn't realize that that meant they lacked originality, too."

Silver snorted again and shook his head up and down, as if nodding in agreement. She laughed lightly and ran her hand over his beautiful silver grey coat, the reason for which he was so named.

If anyone had seen her talking to her horse, they would have thought that something was wrong with the poor girl, but she really wouldn't have cared. Silver was a very clever horse and he had been her only companion since she had parted ways with her master to go on this little adventure. She wouldn't have chosen any other horse besides him. He had been hers since the moment he was born and the bond they had was intimately strong. He understood her and always seemed to know what she was thinking and feeling. Plus, he listened to her and knew exactly how to respond. It wasn't a trick she had to teach him, it was something he was born with.

She led Silver down the path a bit and then stopped for moment to look out upon the breathtaking view of Hobbiton. Even at night, it was beautiful to look at. She had never actually been to that part of the Shire before, but she had been told that it was a beautiful sight, and she could see that claim was true.

"The Shire truly is a very beautiful place." She said to Silver. "My master always said that if he was to retire, he would come and live here. What do you think? Do you think I should live here when I retire?" Silver turned and rubbed his face against hers. "Yes, you're right. I've got a long time before I start thinking about that."

She turned and looked out at the Shire again. She stood there for a few moments until suddenly she felt Silver press his forehead against her back and push her forwards.

"Alright, alright, we're going!" She said with a laugh. They continued to walk, but thankfully not for very long. Right away, she saw something on the door of the next house that caught her eye. Telling Silver to stay put, she walked through the gate and up to the door. Immediately, she saw what it was she had spotted. It was a mark that looked like an ancient ruin that glowed blue in the moonlight.

She shook her head with a smirk. "Ancient runes; that's definitely something Gandalf would use. This must be the place."

Straightening herself up, she took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Go Away!" Shouted someone from inside.

She paused then knocked again with more force. She really didn't want to deal with this aggravation. She was cold and tired and she didn't care to stand around outside any longer. She heard the sound of approaching footsteps before the door was opened by a very irritated looking hobbit.

He was short, as all hobbits should be; probably no taller than 4 foot 3 inches. He had shaggy brown hair with pointed ears sticking out and light brown eyes that burned with frustration. He wore a patchwork robe and, as she had expected, he had hairy feet, like most hobbits do. He appeared to be about 40 years old. Of course, she wasn't sure; she couldn't remember if hobbits aged the same way humans do, but that's how old he looked. He stared up at her, his irritation being replaced with surprise.

"Oh uh, you're not a dwarf." He stammered.

She smiled. "What gave that away?" He frowned at her sarcasm and she hung her head slightly. "Forgive me, sir. It's been a long journey and I'm tired."

"Are you….?"

"Human? Yes." She paused. "Are you Mr. Baggins? Mr. Bilbo Baggins?"

He sighed. "I am."

"Edlyn, at your service." She said with a slight bow.

"That seems to be a popular phrase tonight, now isn't it?" He said with a bitter smirk.

Edlyn tilted her head, curious as to what he meant by that. "May I come in?"

He threw his arms out. "Why not? It's not like I really have a say in this anymore."

Edlyn frowned, once again curious as to what he was talking about. However, she decided not to ask. She stepped through the door, and then she remembered something and stepped back out. The hobbit watched her in surprise as she wiped her feet on the outside rug.

"I don't want to track mud all over the place." She said as she walked back in and closed the door. However, she figured that her little act of consideration didn't really matter when she looked at the state that the entrance way was in already, but it did receive a grateful smile from the hobbit, so that made her happy enough.

Edlyn turned her head when she heard the loud chatter of male voices coming from the kitchen and saw what looked like really short men walking around.

She smiled with a knowing gleam in her grayish blue eyes. _"Well that explains a lot."_ She thought to herself.

"You already have guests, I see." She said to Mr. Baggins as she removed her cloak, revealing her traveling attire which consisted of a green wool tunic with elbow length sleeves, a belt around her waist, form fitting trousers and lightweight but sturdy brown boots. "And dwarves, no doubt."

"Unfortunately, yes." The hobbit sighed. "Are they friends of yours?"

Edlyn laughed warmly. "Good gracious, no!" She replied. "I've only met a couple dwarves in my life about a while back. And if what I remember from that experience still applies here then allow me to extend my sympathies to you, my friend."

"Thank you." Bilbo said, sighing again. "At least someone is considerate of my feelings tonight."

She smiled sympathetically. "Don't worry; I'm sure the evening will get better from here."

Apparently, she had spoken too soon, because right then there came a loud crash from the kitchen, making both of them jump. It was the very unpleasant sound of something made of glass and very fragile hitting the floor and shattering.

"KILI!" A deep, heavily accented male voice shouted.

"IT WASN'T ME!" A higher male voice shouted defensively.

Edlyn winced. "Well, that didn't sound good."

A look of panic crossed Bilbo's face. "Excuse me." He squeaked before darting into the kitchen.

"Would you like some help, Bilbo?" She called after him.

"No, no I'm good. You just make yourself at home." He said frantically.

She knew it wasn't true but she did as she was told anyway. Hanging her cloak up, Edlyn went to go look around. She walked into the living quarters and smiled fondly. The place had a very warm, homely feel to it. It kind of reminded her of her own home, only a bit fancier. She smiled again as she looked around the house. Suddenly, her mind flooded with thoughts about her family, friends and the home she left behind. She thought about her master and how much she missed him. Her throat started to clench a bit at the thought.

Suddenly, she started to feel a bit homesick.

* * *

 **A/N: I often like to pick actors and actresses to play my OCs. Edlyn is played by Jessica Brown Findlay. I'll keep doing this every time a new OC is introduced.**


	2. Book I CH 2: The Unexpected Party

**~The Unexpected Party~  
**

Edlyn remained in the living room for few more moments. Had she had the time she would have stayed longer; the atmosphere of the room was very relaxing. However, there were more important things that needed to be taken care of and there was no time to dawdle. She turned to make her out of the living room and suddenly remembered how low the ceilings were when her head collided with one of the wooden beams on the ceiling.

"AH!" She cried clutching her forehead as her brain felt like it was bouncing around in her skull. She forgot that this place was made for a hobbit not a human, or anyone above 5 feet tall. Rubbing her forehead, she ducked down under the beam. "Well that was graceful." She muttered sarcastically.

Just then she heard Bilbo's frantic voice yelling something from the kitchen and remembered that the halfling was most likely having a worse evening than she was. Immediately, the homesick feeling disappeared and she decided to go check on the hobbit and see how he was doing.

She walked to the kitchen and saw Bilbo on his knees, cleaning up the shattered remains of what looked like a glass jar. Thankfully, there didn't appear to have been anything in it when it broke. The hobbit looked at her with an incredibly annoyed stare and she replied by giving him a sympathetic look before turning her attention to the other guests.

From what she could see, there were already four dwarves in the house. There was an older dwarf with a long white beard and white hair who was shorter than the others. There was another, taller, meaner looking dwarf standing right next to him. Judging by the all the scars and tattoos on his body and face, he appeared to be a warrior of some type.

The other two dwarves were much younger. One had dark hair and brown eyes. He didn't have much of a beard which seemed strange since all dwarves had beards. Or at least that's what Edlyn had been told. He must have been too young to grow one. The brunette dwarf turned to her and smiled. She couldn't help but laugh to herself. He had a bit of a dorky smile that kind of reminded her of her cousin, Gar. She smirked and nodded hello to him. He winked back and turned to talk to the large tattooed dwarf. Judging from the young dwarf's voice, he was the one who broke the jar, supposedly.

The other young dwarf was blonde and a bit shorter than the brunette. He had more of a beard, though, which was complete with a braided mustache. He was talking to the older, shorter dwarf about something but Edlyn couldn't tell what it was. As they spoke, the blonde dwarf turned and his eyes locked with hers.

Edlyn didn't t know what happened at that moment but for a second it felt like she had forgotten how to breathe!

That blonde dwarf had the most beautiful, deep-set blue eyes she had ever seen on anyone. And the lighting of the room really made them stand out. They were almost mesmerizing and she found herself unable to look away. She felt butterflies in her stomach when she noticed a thoughtful glint in his eye as he looked at her from head to foot, almost as if he was studying her. She mentally scolded herself for staring and letting herself get caught while doing so. She tried to hide the blush she felt creeping in by bowing slightly as if to say hello. He smiled and did the same. She smiled awkwardly and tried to turn her attention elsewhere.

Suddenly, she felt someone whiz past her. Upon turning she saw Bilbo storming out of the kitchen in a huff. She sighed and followed him, just narrowly missing hitting her head on another ceiling beam on her way out. She found the hobbit in the living room, leaning against the mantle. Judging by his posture, he was very upset.

"Rough night, I take it." She said.

"What gave that away?" He said, retorting her earlier comment back to her.

She gave him a soft smile. "Bilbo, I'm sorry. I know I'm not the one who's ransacking your kitchen right now, but I can't help feeling bad about all this. So, I would like to apologize on behalf of all your guests."

Bilbo turned around. "Let me just say that in the midst of all this chaos, I would like to thank you for not being as unruly and uncouth as those hooligans in my kitchen are being. Your manners are most refreshing, young lady."

Edlyn nodded. "Well, where I come from, we were always taught to respect our host. However, judging from what I've seen, you weren't entirely prepared for all this."

"Not in the slightest."

"Well, that's strange, because I would think that if you knew you were expecting guests, you would have prepared a little more."

Bilbo looked completely bewildered. "I was NOT expecting guests tonight at all! No offense, young lady, but you and all those dwarves are uninvited, as far as I'm concerned! I have no idea what you people want and what you're doing in my house!"

She gave him a confused frown. "But, didn't he tell you?"

Now it was Bilbo's turn to look confused. "Didn't who tell me what?"

Before Edlyn could answer, there came a loud knock on the door. Bilbo let out an exasperated growl and stormed out of the living room. Edlyn followed close behind him.

"NO! NO!" He shouted. "NO MORE HUMANS! NO MORE DWARVES! THERE ARE FAR TOO MANY UNINVITED GUESTS IN MY HOUSE! IF THIS IS SOME CLOT HEAD'S IDEA OF A JOKE I CAN TELL YOU, IT IS VERY POOR TASTE!"

He opened the door and about 8 more dwarves came toppling in on top of one another in a big, messy pile. They were followed by a familiar bearded old man in a grey robe.

"Gandalf." Bilbo said with an annoyed sigh.

After the dwarves had straightened themselves out, Edlyn walked up to the old wizard, smiled and gave him a hug. "Hello, Gandalf."

"Edlyn, my dear." He said, returning her hug. "I wasn't sure if you would come."

"Are you joking? I wouldn't miss an opportunity like this for anything. Come on; let's go get something to eat." She led Gandalf into the kitchen, leaving behind a very befuddled looking Bilbo.

* * *

Edlyn sat next to Gandalf as they ate supper. She was pretty hungry from her long journey, so she ate vigorously but respectfully, trying to ignore the horrendous table manners of the dwarves sitting around her. After supper was finished, Edlyn gave her plate to an intimidating looking dwarf with an axe sticking out of his head; she tried not to stare at it. Afterwards, she decided that she wanted to try and get away from the dwarves for a moment (fat chance of that), so she went looking for Bilbo. She found him complaining to Gandalf about the dwarves and how they were destroying his house.

Just then, a very young dwarf approached the hobbit. "Excuse me. I'm sorry to interrupt but what should I do with my plate?" He asked politely.

" _Well, isn't he a little gentleman."_ Edlyn thought to herself.

Her stomach flipped slightly when that blonde dwarf stepped forward. "Here you go, Ori. Give it to me." He said.

He took the plate and without even hesitating, he chucked it across the room. It was caught by the brunette dwarf who proceeded to throw it into the kitchen where another dwarf caught it. That plate was followed by another plate and another, and before Edlyn knew it, plates and cups and other pieces of dinnerware were being tossed back and forth between the dwarves.

Poor Bilbo was in hysterics, yelling at them to stop, especially when they started clanging the silverware together.

"Can-can you not do that? You'll blunt them!" He shouted.

"Oh, did ya hear that, lads?" One of the dwarves said. "He says we'll blunt the knives." Then one by one, the dwarves started singing.

 _Blunt the knives, bend the forks_  
 _Smash the bottles and burn the corks_  
 _Chip the glasses and crack the plates_  
 _That's what Bilbo Baggins hates_  
 _Cut the cloth, tread on the fat_  
 _Leave the bones on the bedroom mat_  
 _Pour the milk on the pantry floor_  
 _Splash the wine on every door_  
 _Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl_  
 _Pound them up with a thumping pole_  
 _When your finished if they are whole_  
 _Send them down the hall to roll_

To Edlyn, it was all chaos; complete, utter, hilarious chaos.

At one point she had to duck in order to avoid getting hit by a plate that came flying right at her head and ended up bumping her head against another ceiling beam as she stood up. Oh, for crying out loud!

She looked over and saw that it was the blonde dwarf who had thrown the plate. He gave her a wide eyed, apologetic look but she just smiled and shook her head, as if to say 'don't worry about it'. However, she decided then that the safest thing for her to do was to remain on the sidelines, which she did.

Bilbo looked like he was about to have a heart attack. She felt bad for the hobbit, but at the same time she couldn't help but be entertained by all this. She couldn't help but laugh along with these crazy dwarves.

 _That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!_

The song concluded with the dwarves erupting with laughter at Bilbo's surprised look when he saw that none of his plates were damaged but were in fact cleaned and stacked very neatly. Edlyn looked at him with an amused shrug, then for a moment her eyes met those of the blonde dwarf, who was standing right next to the hobbit. He smiled at her and she felt the butterflies in her stomach again.

" _Oh, stop it!"_ She said to herself, shaking her head. _"He shouldn't make you feel this way. You don't even know him; you don't even know his name."_

Just then, there came a loud knocking on the door and the laughter ceased.

"He is here." Gandalf said gravely.

* * *

 **A/N: The recurring gag where Edlyn keeps bumping her head against the ceiling was not in the original story. I just added that here to remember that moment in Fellowship of the Ring when Gandalf hit his head on the ceiling beam in Bag-end. That gag is going to make another appearance in the next chapter.**


	3. BookI CH3: A Meeting Of Great Importance

**~A Meeting of Great Importance~  
**

The front door was opened to reveal a very stern looking dwarf with dark hair streaked with grey and icy blue eyes. He was kind of handsome, certainly; however his beard was shorter than expected. He turned to Gandalf, staring up at the wizard with an ironic smirk.

"Gandalf." He said." I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way, twice. Wouldn't have found it at all had it not been for that mark on the door."

 _"Yeah, no kidding."_ Edlyn thought to herself.

"Mark?" Bilbo said. "There's no mark on that door. It was painted a week ago!"

"There is a mark; I put it there myself." Gandalf informed him.

Edlyn shook her head with a quirk of the lip. Apparently, the wizard had failed to mention that little detail to the hobbit before; typical Gandalf.

"Bilbo Baggins." Gandalf said. "Allow me to introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield."

Thorin looked at Bilbo skeptically. "So, this is the hobbit? Tell me, Mr. Baggins, have you done much fighting?"

"Pardon me?" Bilbo replied.

"Axe or sword? What's your weapon of choice?" Thorin asked.

"Well, I have some skill at Conkers, if you must know." The hobbit said. "But I fail to see why that's relevant."

Edlyn smiled; she was really beginning to like this hobbit.

Thorin smirked. "Thought as much. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar."

Everyone else laughed and Edlyn couldn't help but laugh a bit too. However, the sound of her laughter caught Thorin's attention. He turned and looked right at her, causing her stomach to tighten.

"Gandalf, who is this?" He asked.

"This is Edlyn." Gandalf said. "She will be accompanying you on your journey, as your healer."

Thorin stepped towards her. She politely bowed to show her respect to him. "I thought we agreed that Oin was going to be our healer." He said, never taking his eyes off of her.

"He is." Gandalf said. "But as skilled as he may be, his knowledge is limited. Edlyn is trained in a very unique form of healing; one that blends medical science with a bit of mysticism and allows her to treat people of all races. Most of her methods are far ahead of our time."

Thorin looked at Gandalf, cocking an eyebrow. He then turned and looked back at Edlyn, his eyes scrutinizing her closely. She felt a chill go up her spine at his hard stare. Instinctively, she took a step backwards and bumped the back of her head against the ceiling beam behind her. She let out a grunt and rubbed her head with a wince.

"And she also has all the grace that a woman should have." Gandalf added. Edlyn looked at him with a slight frown before rolling her eyes at his attempt at humor.

"Very well." Thorin said. He turned to the young healer. "Gandalf told me that he was planning on hiring a very special healer for this journey. But I have to say, I wasn't expecting the healer to be quite so..." He looked at her from head to foot. "...young."

She smirked. "Well, that's a relief. For a moment there I thought you were going to tell me I looked like an old woman."

Her snarky remark caused the dwarves around her to chuckle. Thorin stared at her and she just smiled smugly. She heard Gandalf clear his throat and she looked up and met the wizard's scolding gaze. She looked back at Thorin.

"Forgive me, sir. That was out of line." She apologized.

"She is witty but at least she knows how to show respect." Thorin said, thoughtfully. "Tell me, Edlyn, where are you from?"

"I fare from Snowbourne, my lord." She answered.

"Snowbourne? That's in Rohan, right?" He inquired

"Yes, just along the River Snowbourne." She replied. "But I haven't been home in a while. I've been traveling a lot with my master, the healer who taught me."

"And who is your master, if you don't mind me asking?" He asked with a tilt of the head.

Edlyn smiled; this was a question that she just loved answering.

"Hruin Redd."

She said her master's name as simply as if she was speaking of a normal person. But as usual, the reaction she received from everyone suggested anything but.

A look of surprise crossed over Thorin's face and all the dwarves started whispering among themselves, each one gazing at her with awestruck curiosity. The blond dwarf looked at her with intrigue.

"Hruin Redd?" Thorin said. "I have heard of him. They say he is the greatest healer among the race of Men and he is quite famous throughout Middle Earth. In fact, he is practically a legend, from what I've been told."

Edlyn smiled. "Well, I'm sure that Master Redd wouldn't necessarily look at it that way, even though it is true."

"It is also said that he has been alive for an unusually long time, longer than men typically live for." Thorin added. "And yet, he is not one of the Dúnedain. You wouldn't by any chance know the reason for his longevity, would you?"

Edlyn paused, not sure whether she should answer truthfully or not. She looked at Gandalf and he just shook his head. She knew then that the truth was better left unsaid for the time being. She looked back at Thorin.

"There could be any number of reasons for that, my lord." She answered. "Unfortunately, whatever the secret is, my master has chosen to not reveal it to me yet."

It was a lie, but it was for the best.

Thorin looked unconvinced, but he decided to leave it for now. "Other than healing, what skills to you have? Do you use a weapon?"

"I'm skilled with a sword." She said. "One of Master Redd's other students taught me the art of sword fighting."

"That will do." Thorin said. Edlyn smile and bowed again as she and everyone else walked into the dining room.

* * *

Edlyn was seated next to Gandalf as all the dwarves sat around the table and discussed the concept of the journey ahead. On her left was the mean looking tattooed dwarf who would occasionally look at her with hard, distrustful eyes. She shifted a bit under his stare and tried to keep her attention focused on Gandalf as the meeting went on.

She hadn't really known all the details about the quest before; she just knew it involved a dragon. After listening to the dwarves talk she eventually learned the full story. She remembered Master Redd telling her the story of Erebor and how the dwarves were driven from their home by the dragon, Smaug. They planned on reclaiming their kingdom and that's what this quest was all about. After Gandalf brought forward a map to the mountain as well as the key to the hidden door, it seemed like everything was in order. The only thing they needed now was a burglar.

"Hm, a good one too." Bilbo said. "An expert, I'd imagine."

"And are you?" One of the dwarves asked Bilbo.

Edlyn's brow furrowed. The hobbit? So that's why Gandalf said to come here.

Bilbo looked equally confused. "Am I what?"

Edlyn shook her head; apparently Gandalf forgot to inform Bilbo about that little detail also.

"He says he's an expert! Haha!" Shouted an older dwarf with a hearing trumpet who was sitting in-between the tattooed dwarf and the blonde dwarf on her left, causing some of the other dwarves to laugh. Edlyn looked at him before making eye contact with the blonde dwarf, the two of them sharing a questioning look.

"M-Me? No, no no no no. I'm not a burglar; I've never stolen a thing in my life!" Bilbo protested.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Mr. Baggins." The older dwarf from before said. "He is hardly burglar material." Bilbo nodded in agreement.

"Aye, the wild is no place for gentlefolk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves." Said the tattooed dwarf. Bilbo nodded in agreement to that as well.

"What about the lass?" Asked a dwarf with a funny hat who was sitting right across from Edlyn.

She looked at him with wide eyes, startled at suddenly being addressed. "What?"

"Well, Gandalf did say that you have all the grace that a woman should have." He replied. "Surly that must mean that you're incredibly light on your feet, right?"

"Plus, you said you know how to use a sword." Added another dwarf with a thick, red beard. "That certainly makes you far more qualified, doesn't it?"

All the dwarves started chattering, some agreeing with the statement while others disagreed with it. Edlyn didn't get a chance to speak at all over the dwarves arguing until Thorin shouted at them in what Edlyn could only figure was dwarvish. They quieted down after that then all their eyes turned to her, waiting for her to reply to their previous statements.

"Um…" Edlyn stammered, her face burning at having all the dwarves looking at her. "Despite what Gandalf said…." She looked up at the wizard with a slightly annoyed look; he responded with small quirk of the lip. "I don't have nearly as much grace as what is needed. Now, I don't know much about hobbits but I've heard that they can be very quiet and stealthy when they need to be. Honestly, I think Mr. Baggins would have a better chance at it than I would."

Bilbo looked at her in disbelief and shock at her encouraging the proposal of him being a burglar. The dwarves started arguing again about the choice to let Bilbo come along. Suddenly, Gandalf stood up to an enormous height and darkness filled the room.

"ENOUGH!" He shouted in an unnaturally loud voice. "IF I SAY BILBO BAGGINS IS A BURGLAR THAN A BURGLAR HE IS!"

The entire room went silent. Edlyn jumped when Gandalf started shouting. It was safe to say that she had never seen him react that way before. Master Redd once said that wizards had a tendency to shout like that sometimes but she never expected it to be like that!

After a moment, Gandalf returned to his normal size. "Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet." He said, his voice returning to a normal volume. "In fact, they can pass unseen by most if they choose. And while the dragon is accustomed to the smell of dwarf and, theoretically, Man too…." He looked at Edlyn. "….the scent of hobbit is all but unknown to him, which gives us a distinct advantage. You asked me to find the final member of the company, and I have chosen Mr. Baggins. There is a lot more to him than appearances suggest, and he's got a great deal more to offer than any of you know, including himself. You must trust me on this."

"Very well." Thorin said. "Give him the contract."

The older, shorter dwarf from before stood up and handed Bilbo the contract. "It's just the usual summary of out of pocket expenses, time required, remuneration, funeral arrangements, so forth."

"Funeral arrangements?" Bilbo stammered nervously as Thorin practically shoved the contract into his hands.

Edlyn frowned and gave Gandalf a questioning look. Funeral arrangements? Somehow that thought had never occurred to her. Of course, this quest did ultimately mean that they would have to go up against a _dragon_ so really it wasn't all that surprising. Suddenly, Edlyn started to get a bit worried.

Everyone was silent as Bilbo read through the contract. Gandalf and Thorin were whispering between themselves about something but Edlyn couldn't make out what it was. She just sat there quietly staring down at her hands that were neatly clasped together on the table, her thumbs twiddling. She turned her head once and caught the blue gaze of the blonde dwarf; he was looking right at her! He smiled slightly at her and she responded the same way before lowering her eyes shyly. She looked back at Bilbo when he suddenly stopped reading the contract.

"Incineration!?" He asked, turning to the dwarves with shocked look.

"Oh, aye, he'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye." The dwarf with the funny hat said simply.

When Edlyn saw Bilbo turn pale she suddenly became alert.

"You all right, laddie?" The older dwarf asked.

"Uh, yeah." Bilbo replied. "Feel a bit faint."

"Think furnace with wings." The dwarf with the hat said.

"Air, I-I-I need air." Bilbo said, bending over with a nauseated look on his face.

"Flash of light, searing pain then poof! You're nothing more than a pile of ash." The hat dwarf replied nonchalantly. Edlyn didn't know why he was talking about it in that way. As a healer she had dealt with burns before, and they were no laughing matter.

Edlyn was almost on her feet when Bilbo began to sway a bit. As soon as he hit the floor, she ran to assist him.

* * *

Bilbo sat in his armchair as Edlyn gave him a cup full of a special herbal tea to help calm his nerves. It was a unique mixture that Master Redd had created.

"Edlyn, my dear." Gandalf said. "Could you give Mr. Baggins and I a moment alone?"

She nodded and left the room. However, she wanted to hear their conversation so she sat just outside the door and listened. She didn't understand half the things they were talking about, but when it ended she understood enough. Basically, Bilbo backed out. They had lost their burglar. Edlyn watched in disappointment as Bilbo left the room and walked down the hall to his bed room. She sighed and clutched the moonstone necklace around her neck.

She didn't notice it, but while she sat there, the blonde dwarf was sitting some ways off watching her. She didn't know that the more he looked at her, the more curious he got. He wanted to know more about her.

She sat there for a bit. Then she heard the deep, rolling voices of the dwarves singing in the living room.

 _Far over the Misty Mountains cold_  
 _To dungeons deep and caverns old_  
 _We must away ere break of day_  
 _To find our long forgotten gold_

 _The pines were roaring on the height_  
 _The winds were moaning in the night_  
 _The fire was red, it flaming spread_  
 _The trees like torches blazed with light_

The music moved through her; it relaxed her and haunted her. After it was done, she decided to go find a place to sleep. They had a long journey ahead of them in the morning.

Tomorrow, the adventure would truly begin.


	4. Book I CH 4: The Journey Begins

**~The Journey Begins~  
**

Edlyn woke early the next morning and left with everyone else. No one bothered to wake Bilbo; they saw no point in doing so since he wasn't coming on the journey. She took one last look at Bag-end before hopping on Silver's back and riding off with the group.

Edlyn had to admit, she was really going to miss Mr. Baggins. In one short evening, she had grown to like him. Maybe she would come back to Hobbiton again one day and visit him. That is if she survived this journey, which she sincerely hoped that she would.

She looked up and saw both the blonde dwarf and the brunette dwarf looking at her with the same face; obviously, they were going to miss Bilbo as well.

Edlyn rode towards the front of the group next to Gandalf as they trekked down the forested road. She didn't feel comfortable enough to ride with the dwarves yet, so she thought it would be best if she rode with someone she knew. And she just knew that the wizard was going to give her grief about it.

"Edlyn." Gandalf said. "Why don't you go ride with the others. Socialize with them a bit. Don't cling to me the whole time."

"I won't, Gandalf." She said. "I just need to get used to them first. Until then, I will cling to you."

She smiled playfully and Gandalf rolled his eyes. However, she also saw a look of disappointment hidden in his features.

"Are you alright, Gandalf?" She asked.

"Hm? Oh, uh no, not really." The old wizard replied. "I thought for sure Bilbo would come. Do you think I made the wrong choice with choosing Mr. Baggins?"

"Do you doubt yourself, Gandalf? That's not like you." Edlyn said with surprise. "Don't forget, you bet on the hobbit, remember."

"I know, and I still feel that there is a chance he will change his mind." Gandalf said. "But I can't help doubting a bit. Do you think I made the right choice?"

Edlyn inhaled deeply. "Gandalf, I may not know you as well as Master Redd does, but I know Master Redd and he is an excellent judge of character. He trusts everything you say and do. He would trust you with his life. He's known you for years, decades even. He trusts you and I trust him. As such, I trust you."

She paused when you saw the smirk on the wizard's face.

"Which is just a long winded way of saying yes, I do believe you made the right choice." She finished.

"Very wise, my dear." Gandalf said with smile.

Edlyn smiled back then gave him a confused frown. "Gandalf, may I ask you something?" He nodded. "Why did you choose me? I'm not the most experienced of Master Redd's students."

"I chose you because Redd said you were the best choice. And I agreed with him." Gandalf answered. "You may not be the most experienced but you have so much else that makes you worthy. Redd says that you're resourceful, passionate, loyal, very bright, caring and you're a fast learner. Plus, you are a woman, and since everyone else in the company is male, he figured that we needed a woman's touch."

Edlyn cocked an eyebrow. "You made that last part up, didn't you?"

Gandalf gave a nod. "Yes, I did. But everything else is true."

"Did Master Redd really say all that?" She asked.

"Every word." Gandalf said. "And like you said, Master Redd is an excellent judge of character."

She smiled. "Thank you, Gandalf. And don't worry about the hobbit. I'm sure he'll change his mind. I mean, can't you just picture him now, running down the path and yelling for us to stop?"

"Wait! Wait!"

Edlyn paused when she heard the familiar sound of Mr. Baggins' voice shouting for them to stop. She turned around and saw the hobbit running down the path to catch up to the group, just like she had said.

"Now that's just spooky." She muttered.

Gandalf laughed at her bewildered expression. Bilbo gave the older dwarf the signed contract and was given a pony to ride on, despite his protest.

The dwarves then started paying up on the bets they made on Mr. Baggins. Edlyn shook her head and looked over towards the blonde dwarf, who smiled at her as he caught a bag of coins in his hand that was thrown by the brunette, who she now guessed was his brother.

The group continued on their journey over hills, across plains and through rivers. They only had to stop once when Bilbo complained about not having a pocket handkerchief.

Edlyn smiled; she really did like this hobbit, he made her laugh. She looked at the blonde dwarf again and saw that he shared her amusement.

* * *

The group camped out for the night by the edge of a cliff. It was a rough night for poor Bilbo. He couldn't sleep on account of the snoring dwarves lying around him. He got up and went over to his pony, Myrtle and gave her an apple, checking around to make sure no one was looking.

"You could get in trouble for that, you know."

Bilbo almost jumped out of his skin. He spun around and was surprised to see the only human member of the company standing behind him with an amused look on her face.

"Oh uh, I was just...I mean, I didn't...I, um...oh, dear." He stammered.

Edlyn laughed. "Don't worry, Bilbo. I won't tell anyone. Can't sleep?"

He sighed. "Yes. It's just...I not used to all this; all these dwarves. When I'm with them, I feel..."

"Out of place?" She said, finishing his sentence.

"A bit." Bilbo said with a shrug.

She gave him a sympathetic look. "I know how you feel. It's the same for me. I guess that's one thing you and I have in common."

"I just don't really feel like I fit in with this lot, you know." He added.

"Well, you're not alone. I understand completely. In a way, we're both misfits." She smiled at the hobbit and he smiled back. "I believe that in time, we will find our place among the company. But until then, we misfits should stick together. Agreed?" She held out her hand to him and he grabbed it and shook it.

"Agreed." He said with a smile.

Just then, the two of them heard a scream in the distance. Bilbo ran back to the fire and she followed him.

"What was that?" He frantically asked the blonde and the brunette dwarves who were sitting by the fire. Edlyn still didn't quite know their names yet.

"Orcs." The brunette dwarf said.

"Throat-cutters." The blonde one said nonchalantly. "There'll be dozens of them out there. The lowlands are crawling with them."

"They strike in the wee small hours, when everyone's asleep." The brunette said. "Quick and quiet; no screams, just lots of blood."

As he spoke, Edlyn made eye contact with the blonde dwarf and he gave her a secret smirk, subtly shaking his head. Her lip quirked slightly; she understood then that they were just trying to scare Bilbo. It was working too; poor Bilbo was terrified. The two young dwarves looked at each other and laughed.

"You think that's funny?" Thorin scolded. "You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?"

"We didn't mean anything by it." The brunette said, lowering his eyes apologetically.

"No, you didn't. You know nothing of the world." Thorin said before walking off.

The older, shorter dwarf, whom Edlyn believed was named Balin, stepped forward and told them not to take Thorin's words so hard. He then proceeded to explain the reason why Thorin hated orcs so much. He told them about the battle to reclaim Moria. He told them about the pale orc Azog the defiler, the death of Thror and how Thorin Oakenshield earned his title.

Edlyn listened with intrigue. She didn't know how much of the story was true and how much was exaggerated. She just knew that after listening to it, she now had a deeper sense of respect for Thorin. She and everyone else there now looked at Thorin as someone who they could trust to be their leader.

She only hoped that this whole quest would be worth whatever the cost may be.

* * *

 **A/N: I know that the pace of the story seems somewhat slow right now and some of you are getting impatient and want to see more interaction between Edlyn and Fili. However, as I told the readers of the original story, there will be more interaction between them starting in the next chapter. I will be taking my time in developing their relationship and their destined romance rather than just diving right into it. It's more realistic that way.**

 **Also, the conversation between Edlyn and Bilbo at the end is important. It will be brought up again later.**


	5. Book I CH 5: Lullaby by Moonlight

**A/N: Another chapter! That was fast! It literally only takes an hour to revise each chapter and I try to do it whenever I have free time, so here you go!**

* * *

 **~Lullaby by Moonlight~  
**

Sleep, it seemed, had decided to not grace Edlyn with its presence that night. She was laying some ways off from the group, staring up at the stars. She could not sleep, no matter how hard she tried. She was anxious, but she wasn't entirely sure why.

"This is ridiculous." She whispered to herself after a while.

Very quietly, she got up from her spot and walked off away from the sleeping company, tip-toeing around as to not wake the snoring dwarves. She walked over to where the ponies were kept, mainly because she wanted to go check on Silver and see how he was doing.

Immediately, she knew which one was him because she could see his silver grey coat glistening in the moonlight. As soon as he saw her, his ears perked up and when she approached him he didn't hesitate to rub his forehead against hers.

"Hello, friend." She said, patting his neck. "Can't sleep, huh?"

Silver shook his head.

"I know, me either." She said with a sigh. "I don't know what it is but I'm just too anxious to sleep. Maybe it's because other than Gandalf, I don't really know anybody here. I don't even really know everybody's names yet. It usually doesn't take me this long to get used to people, so I don't know what's going on. It could also be because most of them are dwarves and I'm not used to being around dwarves. You know, it's strange for me being taller than most of the men I'm traveling with."

Silver snorted and Edlyn smiled, giving him a kiss on the nose.

"But then again, you would know all about that since you've been standing around all these ponies, right?" She said.

Silver shook his head up and down as if nodding. Edlyn laughed lightly and continued to look into his eyes as he started nibbling on her braid. He liked doing that and she didn't mind it that much.

"Well," She said after a while. "We should probably get some sleep, if we can. Long journey tomorrow, you know. And I know just the thing to help us both relax."

She gently caressed Silver's neck and very softly, she began to sing.

 _Lay down your head and I'll sing you a lullaby_  
 _Back to the years of loo-lee-lai-lay_  
 _And I'll sing you to sleep, and I'll sing you tomorrow_  
 _Bless you with love for the road that you go_

 _May you sail fair to the far fields of fortune_  
 _With diamonds and pearls at you head and your feet_  
 _And may you need never to banish misfortune_  
 _May you find kindness in all that you meet_

 _May there always be angels to watch over you_  
 _To guide you each step of the way_  
 _To guard you and keep you safe from all harm_  
 _Loo-lee-loo-lee-lai-lay_

 _May you bring love and may you bring happiness_  
 _Be loved in return till the end of your days_  
 _Now fall off to sleep, I'm not meaning to keep you_  
 _I'll just sit for a while and sing loo-lee-lai-lay  
_

 _May there always be angels to watch over you  
To guide you each step of the way  
To guard you and keep you safe from all harm  
Loo-lee-loo-lee-lai-lay  
Loo-lee-loo-lee-lai-lay  
_  
The sound of her voice seemed to soothe Silver. His head hung a bit, then suddenly it shot up and he let out a short whinny. Edlyn knew why he did that because at that moment, she got the creepy feeling that she was being watched.

She spun around and that's when she saw him, the blonde dwarf, standing against the tree watching her. Her heart fluttered slightly.

"You know, it's really not wise to sneak up on someone like that." She said. "Especially if that someone happens to be a woman who knows how to use a sword."

"Good advice." He said, stepping forward. "I'll remember that later. Forgive me, I didn't mean to startle you."

"That's alright." She said, shaking her head. "Why aren't you asleep?'

"I was on watch." He replied. "You?"

"Can't sleep." She answered. "How long were you standing there?"

"A while." He said.

She hummed in amusement. "You probably think I'm mad for talking to a horse, right?"

He shrugged. "Not at all. People talk to horses all the time. They're very good listeners. I talk to horses more than I should, so I'm probably madder than you."

She chuckled. "Yes, you probably are."

She looked at him for a moment, then she realized that she still didn't know his name.

"Now wait a minute, don't tell me." She held her hand up to prevent him from speaking as her pale blue eyes scanned him. "You're either Fili or Kili. I'm not entirely sure which one, though."

He smiled. "I'm Fili."

"Oh, right. And that other one with the dark hair and the dorky smile is Kili, your brother, right?" She asked.

He chuckled and nodded.

"Ah, right." She said, herself nodding. "I'm sorry. It's just that there are so many of you and it's taking me a while to put the names with the faces."

His sea blue eyes were soft with understanding. "Don't worry. You'll have us all memorized soon."

"I hope so." She paused. "Well, you probably already know my name, but in case you forgot, I'll refresh your memory. Edlyn, daughter of Deogol, pleased to meet you." She bowed and Fili returned it. "And this is Silver, my horse. Silver, meet Fili."

Fili stepped forward and attempted to pat Silver on the neck. Silver looked at him for a moment then wrapped his lips around one of his braids and started tugging on it. Fili let out a gasp and tried to pull himself away. Silver let go when he did that. Edlyn laughed quietly so that she wouldn't wake anyone.

"Oh, Silver, you naughty horse; stop teasing!" She turned to Fili. "Are you alright?" He answered with a nod. "Don't worry. Silver likes you."

"Well, he has a funny way of showing it." Fili said. He stepped forward and tried to pat Silver on the neck again. This time Silver let him.

"I heard what you said to him before." Fili said after a while. "About the dwarves. Is that the reason why you isolate yourself like this, because we make you uncomfortable?"

Edlyn was taken aback by his question. "No, you don't make me uncomfortable." She said after a pause. "I just haven't gotten used to you lot yet. And like I said before, it's taking me longer than usual to do so."

Fili cleared his throat. "I can help you."

She looked at him surprised. "Really?"

"Of course." He said simply. "You know me now, and I can help you get familiar with everyone else, starting tomorrow. That is if you don't mind."

She smiled. "I don't mind. I'd appreciate that. Thank you, Fili."

Fili nodded with a smile. There was a bit of a pause after that.

"Well, I should be getting back to my post." Fili said after a while. "And you should be getting back to bed. It's not safe out here at night. We may have been trying to scare Bilbo earlier but everything we said about the orcs was true."

"I know it was." She said with smirk. "But with you on watch, I'm sure I'll be safe."

Fili chuckled before giving her a bow. "Well, I bid you good night, fair maiden."

She rolled her eyes. "And I bid you good night, Master Fili." She said in a playful tone.

He turned and started to walk, and then he stopped and turned to her. "Just so you know, you have a beautiful voice."

With that, he turned again and walked back to his post. As Edlyn watched him leave, she felt her heart flutter again. Silver must have noticed it somehow and he rubbed his face against hers, letting out a little neigh that sounded like a chuckle.

"Oh, stop it, Silver." She said. "I barely know that dwarf. I am NOT falling in love with him, even though he is handsome. It's impossible to fall in love that fast. Besides, we have more important things to focus on right now."

Silver snorted in response and Edlyn softly rubbed his nose. She looked back towards the direction that Fili had headed off to and just stared for a moment.

" _Though I have to admit, if Fili and I ever got married, our children would have incredibly blue eyes."_ She thought to herself. She stopped when she realized what had just passed through her head. _"What are you doing, you idiot?"_ Her inner voice scolded. _"You don't have time for this!"_

She said good night to Silver and walked back to the group. She lied back down on her sleeping spot, closed her eyes and for the first time that night, she fell into a deep sleep. The whole time she did, a smile passed over her lips as an overwhelming feeling of excitement welled up in her chest.

Little did she know that 20 feet away, Fili was experiencing the exact same feeling in his chest as he watched over her from a distance, smiling in just the same fashion.

* * *

 **A/N: The song that Edlyn sung is called Sleepsong by Secret Garden. It is not mine nor do I claim it. It only belongs to the people who created it. If you haven't listened to it before, go listen to it now. It is a really beautiful and haunting melody.**

 **Anyway, things are finally starting to move along now. However, don't expect there to be any kissing between Edlyn and Fili any time soon. Their friendship comes first and as I said, I will be taking my time with that.**


	6. Book I CH 6: Getting To Know You

**~Getting To Know You~  
**

Fili, as Edlyn found out the next morning, was a dwarf of his word. Almost immediately when the group woke up, it became his mission to introduce her to each of the dwarves individually.

He started by introducing her to his brother, Kili, who she took an immediate liking to. His boyish wit never failed to make her laugh and drive her nuts. He helped Fili introduce her to the other dwarves and by the time the group set out on their journey again, she had already met each of the dwarves at least once. And with each one, she found something worth liking. Suddenly, she didn't feel quite so out of place with them.

It was raining while the group rode through the forest, causing some of the dwarves to grumble. But there was nothing anyone could do about it. And while Gandalf rode in front with Bilbo, describing the five wizards of Middle Earth, Edlyn rode in the back with Fili and Kili trying to remember who each of the dwarves were.

"Alright, let's do this again." Fili said. "Bifur, Bofur and Bombur."

"Let me see." Edlyn said, thinking for a moment. "Bofur is the one with the hat. Bombur is his brother and he's the large dwarf. Bifur is their cousin and he's the dwarf with the axe in his forehead."

"Very good. Now, Balin, Dwalin, Oin and Gloin." Fili said.

"Balin and Dwalin are brothers." Edlyn said. "Balin is the older, shorter dwarf with the white beard. Dwalin is the big, bald dwarf with the inkings. Oin is the older dwarf who can't hear very well; he's the other healer. And Gloin, his brother, is the one with the thick, red beard, right?"

"Very good. You certainly are a fast learner, Edlyn." Fili said.

"Oh, come on." Kili said. "Those were the easy ones. Now try to figure out Dori, Nori and Ori."

"Oh, um." She thought for a moment. "Ori is the real young one, I know that. Nori and Dori are his brothers, but I can't really remember...is Nori the older one?"

"No, that's Dori." Fili said. "Nori is the other one."

She remembered. "Oh, you mean the one who tried to steal my necklace right off of me this morning?" They both nodded. "Yes, I will remember who he is because of that."

"Brilliant! She's a natural, brother!" Kili said with a smile. Fili nodded and Edlyn laughed, giving an exaggerated bow.

"There is one more problem. I still can't figure out who you two are." She said with a smirk. Both of them got the joke and started playing along.

"Well, I'm Kili." Kili said.

"And I'm Fili." Fili said.

She gave them a look of mock confusion. "Really, are you sure? Because I could have sworn that you were Fili." She pointed to Kili.

"You know, I do believe you're right." Kili said. "Brother, I think we got our names mixed up again."

"Blast it! That always happens!" Fili said. "We're so sorry to confuse you, miss."

"It's alright." She said. Then the three of them burst out laughing.

Dori and Ori were riding some distance ahead of them and they both turned and gave the trio weird looks which they ignored.

"Speaking of names…" Kili said when their laughter had died down. "…Edlyn is a very unusual one."

"Kili!" Fili hissed at his brother.

"What?" Kili replied. "I mean unusual as in beautiful, not strange. It wasn't an insult."

Fili opened his mouth to protest but Edlyn looked at him with a reassuring nod.

"It's alright, Fili, I'm not offended." She said. "But if you want to know, Kili, Edlyn is a family name. I was named after my mother's mother and the name itself means 'little noble one' in Rohirric. It also can mean 'graceful' as well, but I don't understand that one; I'm really not that graceful."

They all smiled in unison at that remark.

"Do you have any nicknames?" Kili asked. "Or maybe a shortened version of your name?"

Edlyn raised her eyebrows at him. "Now Kili, don't tell me that Edlyn is too hard for you to pronounce." She said teasingly.

Fili turned his head to hide the grin on his face but was unable to stifle the snort that erupted from the back of his throat, drawing the other's attention to him for a moment.

Kili rolled his eyes. "No." He said. "I was just wondering if there was anything else you wanted us to call you."

She shrugged. "Edlyn is fine. Or if you are so inclined, you can call me Lyn. I really don't have any nicknames, because I'm boring like that. What about you two; any nicknames?"

"Fee and Kee." Fili replied. "But usually no one calls us that except just the two of us."

"Oh, so I guess I'm not allowed to call you two that then, right?" She said.

"Not until later when we've gotten to know you better, no." Fili said with smile.

"Understood." Edlyn said with a nod. The boys nodded as well.

"So, how old are you, Edlyn." Kili asked.

Fili put his face into his palm with a sigh. "Just keep talking, brother. Keep digging that hole of yours."

"What?!" Kil said defensively. "It's a simple question!"

Edlyn suddenly let out loud, lilting laugh that took both the young dwarves by surprise, and caused the eldest one's heart to skip a beat.

"You two are unbelievable!" She said with her smile still painted on her face. "Really though, Kili, it's not polite to ask a woman her age. But since you asked, I am twenty-two years of age. I'll be turning twenty-three in a month."

Kili cocked an eyebrow and chuckled. "That's funny. But seriously, how old are you?"

Now it was Edlyn's turn to cock an eyebrow. Fili put his face in his palm again.

"I just told you…" Edlyn said. "…I'm twenty-two years old."

Kili's eye's widened a bit. "Wait, you're not joking?"

Edlyn gave him a confused look. "No." She said. Meanwhile, Fili rode on the other side, blushing hard at his brother's naïveté.

Kili's jaw dropped. "But…you look like you're not that much older than us! Oh Mahal, you're a bloody infant!"

"KILI!" Fili practically shouted with a trace of amusement on his face. "Just be quiet!" Edlyn gave the elder prince a questioning look. "You'll have to forgive my brother." He said to her. "He doesn't know that humans age differently than dwarves do."

"Is that so?" Edlyn said. "I hadn't thought of that. Dare I ask how old you two are?"

"I'm seventy-seven." Kili said.

"And I'm eighty-two." Fili said.

Edlyn looked between the two of them with a slightly shocked expression. "And…Ori?" She asked.

Kili shrugged. "Seventy-one, I'd say; never really asked him, to be honest."

Edlyn whistled. "Well, now I really do feel like an infant. I guess that makes me the youngest member of the company, even though I'm obviously older than you both in mentality."

"It appears so." Fili replied with a smile. Kili leaned back slightly and gave his brother a confused frown that was quickly replaced with a playful, knowing smirk. _"Don't say anything."_ Fili's eyes seemed to say. Kili winked at him then straightened back up as they continued riding.

* * *

About a week into the journey the group set up camp for the night near the remains of an old barn. Gandalf said that they should move on, that the place gave him a bad feeling. He suggested that they seek help from the elves but Thorin refused. He stubbornly insisted that they stay and argued with Gandalf about it. That caused Gandalf to storm off in a huff, leaving the entire company behind.

Edlyn didn't feel comfortable without Gandalf there. She may not have had special powers like him, but she knew it was always wise to listen to a wizard, especially him. Unfortunately, she had no say in the matter.

Later that evening, after she had eaten supper, she decided to go check on Fili and Kili who had been assigned to look after the ponies.

* * *

"You like Edlyn, don't you Fee?"

"As a friend, yes."

"Oh, come on; you know what I mean. You like her…as more than that."

"First off, the way you phrased that sounded stupid. Secondly, that's absurd! She's a friend, nothing more."

"Hey, I'm not judging you if you do like her like that. In fact, I wouldn't blame you. For not having any facial hair, she's really not that bad looking."

"Yeah, I suppose so."

"What's that? Do I detect a wistful sound in your voice? You DO like her!"

"Kee, stop it, please."

"I knew it! My brother is in _love!_ "

"Not so loud, you child! Besides, love is a strong word. I'm not sure how I feel about her yet, honestly."

"Nevertheless, I think you should tell her."

"I can't tell her, not yet. Besides, what would I say? That I think she's pretty and I have feelings for her. It's not that simple."

"Well, you have to tell her sometime, Fee. You can't just keep it all inside."

"I don't know that much about her, Kee. For all I know, she could already have a man waiting for her back in Rohan."

"Well then, that will be the first thing you'll ask her."

"What, no! That's far too direct."

"I meant bring it up casually. Maybe start by asking her more about her family and her home. That might work. You'll never know unless you give it a try.

* * *

Edlyn found the two young dwarves standing some ways off from the ponies, talking about something.

"I thought you two were supposed to be watching the ponies." She said. "I don't think you can do that very effectively with your backs to them." The two of them spun around to face her.

"Oh uh, we were just talking about you, Edlyn." Kili said. Fili gave him a wide eyed stare but Kili kept on talking. "We were just wondering where you got that beautiful moonstone necklace you're wearing. Do you have a special man back home who gave it to you?"

At first, Edlyn looked at him curiously at such a direct question before she laughed, blushing slightly. "If by special man you mean a lover, then no. I don't have one."

Kili gave Fili a secret glance.

"But if by special man you mean an inspirational teacher who taught me everything I know about healing, then yes." She continued. "Master Redd gave this necklace to me. Moonstones are his signature. He gives one to all his students and each one has the student's sign carved into it, see?"

She showed the necklace to them and immediately, they saw the symbol carved into it. Just then, they all heard the sound of panicked neighing coming from behind them, and Edlyn instantly recognized it. The three of them ran over and found Silver rearing up on his hind legs, neighing loudly. There was a terrified look in his eyes.

"Whoa, whoa! Easy boy, easy!" Edlyn said in an attempt to calm Silver down. It didn't really work, Silver kept on rearing. "Easy Silver, easy! Calm down!"

She managed to grab the reigns and Silver stopped rearing. He kept bobbing his head up and down, and pawing at the ground with his hoof as fear flashed in his eyes. All the while, she was rubbing his nose trying to calm him down.

"What the devil is wrong with him?" Fili asked. "He looks spooked."

"No, he's terrified." She said. "That's not good. It takes a lot to scare him. He only acts this way when there's real danger around. So, keep a sharp eye."

The two dwarves nodded and started fingering their weapons. She continued to try to calm Silver down. Then she noticed something strange about the number of ponies and she went around and started counting them.

"How many ponies did we have?" The young healer asked when she was done.

"Sixteen. Why?" Kili replied.

"And you're sure about that?" She asked. They nodded. "There are only fourteen here." They looked at her in surprise. "If you don't believe me, just count them."

They did as they were told and found that she was right. Two of the ponies were missing. They searched around for them but saw no trace of the ponies anywhere. None of them had any idea what was going on so for a moment, they just stood there staring at the ponies with perplexed looks on their faces. Just then, Bilbo arrived with two bowls of soup. He asked what was wrong and they explained the situation. All four of them were inspecting the scene when Fili noticed a light in the distance. They all moved closer and hid behind a log. As soon as they saw THEM, it was clear what was going on.

"What is it?" Bilbo asked

"Trolls." Kili hissed.

* * *

 **A/N:The part about Edlyn's age and name meaning was not in the original story. Also, the conversation between Fili and Kili was expanded.**

 **Anyway, did I mention that I like cliff hangers? No? Well, I do. I'm addicted to them actually and you'll start to see it more from this point onward.** **Oh, and I also like plot twists too. So, yeah, I will not be showing you guys any mercy from here on out. Just a warning.**

 **I told you this story wasn't going to be as simple as it sounded.**


	7. Book I CH 7: Dinner with Trolls

**~Dinner with Trolls~  
**

Trolls they were; three of them, to be exact. Big, ugly, nasty creatures, all of them. One of them walked in with two ponies under his arms and they all sat around the fire discussing how they were going to cook them.

"He's got Myrtle and Minty!" Bilbo said frantically. "I think they're going to eat them, we have to do something."

"Yes, you should." Kili said to Bilbo. "Mountain trolls are slow and stupid, and you're so small."

Edlyn looked at the dark haired dwarf in disbelief. "THAT'S your plan? You're going to send the hobbit out?"

"Yes, they'll never see him." Kili said. Bilbo protested but both the dwarves were persistent. "It's perfectly safe. We'll be right behind you."

"If you run into trouble, hoot twice like a barn owl, once like a brown owl." Fili said.

It wasn't a very good plan, but before the young healer could say anything, the two dwarves shoved Bilbo towards the fire then turned on their heels and started running back to camp. She followed them for a bit, and then stopped, her conscience starting to nag at her.

She couldn't just leave the hobbit to face those trolls alone. It was probably a stupid idea but she knew she had to help him. She just hoped that she wouldn't regret the decision later.

Edlyn turned around and followed Bilbo, sneaking around the trolls so she wouldn't be seen. She found the hobbit trying to free the ponies from the pen that they were being held in.

Bilbo was a bit startled when she approached him from behind and she had to cover his mouth to prevent him from letting out a yelp. The two of them then tried to untie the ropes to free the ponies, but with no success.

They had to hide once when one of the trolls turned towards them then turned back, thankfully without seeing either of them. Edlyn kept trying to untie the ropes, then turned and found that Bilbo was no longer beside her. She looked over and saw him sneaking off towards the trolls in an attempt to get the knife that was tucked in one of the troll's belt.

Her heart started pounding as she watched Bilbo attempt to retrieve the knife. She turned her head for a moment in order to quiet the ponies, whose constant whinnying threatened to give them away.

Just then, one of the trolls let out a cry.

"Blimey! Bert! Bert! Look what's come out of me 'ooter! It's got arms and legs and everything."

Edlyn turned just in time to see Bilbo in the hands of one of the trolls, covered in troll snot. She would have been completely grossed out if she wasn't at that moment terrified for Bilbo's safety. The one troll dropped Bilbo onto the ground as the others gathered around him.

"What are you then?" One troll asked. "An over-sized squirrel?"

"I'm a burglar—uh, hobbit!" Bilbo stammered.

"A burgla-hobbit?" Another troll asked.

"Can we cook 'im?" One of the other ones asked.

"We can try." The first one replied.

Edlyn remained where she was in the shadows. She didn't move a muscle nor did she even dare to breathe. She wanted to save Bilbo but she couldn't possibly take on those trolls herself; she needed the dwarve's help.

Very quietly, she backed away further into the shadows and made her way around the trolls as they interrogated Bilbo. She darted through the underbrush of the forest towards camp until suddenly, she ran right into Fili.

"What happened? Where's Bilbo?" He asked.

"They got him! The trolls got him." The young healer replied breathlessly.

Kili, who wasn't far behind Fili, didn't even hesitate. Upon her words, he charged into the clearing and cut into the leg of one of the trolls causing him to howl in pain and fall over. "Drop him!" Kili shouted.

"You what?" One of the trolls said.

"I said, drop him." Kili repeated.

The troll that was holding Bilbo threw him at Kili, knocking them both down. Almost immediately, the rest of the company came out of nowhere and charged into the clearing with their weapons brandished and started slashing and hacking at the trolls legs.

Despite Fili's insistence that she stay out of the fight, there was no way that Edlyn weren't going to join in. She unsheathed her sword and ran in after the dwarves, not hesitating to ram her blade right through the hand of one of the trolls as he tried to grab her. She continued to slice and cut at the trolls.

She spun around when she heard Fili scream and saw one of the trolls grab him by his ankle and hoist him up upside down, despite his attempts to fight back.

"FILI!" She shouted as she plunged her sword into that troll's calf.

The troll let out a cry of pain and released Fili from his grip, practically throwing him. Edlyn tried to catch him, which she quickly found out was not a very good idea. Fili crashed into her, knocking her down. The incredibly painful sensation of the dwarf's body colliding with her own stunned her for a moment. When she came to her senses, she found that Fili was lying right on top of her with his face inches from hers.

"Thank you." He breathed.

"Don't thank me yet." She said as she pushed him off of her.

"Bilbo!" Kili yelled.

Everyone looked over and found to their horror that the trolls had caught Bilbo and were holding him by his arms and legs.

"Lay down your arms, or we'll rip his off." One of the trolls threatened.

Thorin looked incredibly frustrated as he reluctantly laid his sword on the ground. Everyone else slowly followed suit and Edlyn sighed as she did the same. This was not going to end well, not at all.

* * *

Some time later, the trolls had Bilbo, Thorin, Fili, Kili, Oin, Gloin and Bombur tied up in sacks while the rest of the dwarves were tied to a spit as the trolls tried to roast them over the fire. Before she could react, Edlyn was grabbed by one of the trolls.

"Oy, Tom!" The troll who was wearing the apron said. "Keep that one separate from the rest."

"What for?" Asked the troll that was holding her, whom she figured was obviously named Tom.

"Because, the flesh of Man, especially She-Man, is among the most flavorful and succulent meats and should never be mixed with the flavor of dwarf flesh." The troll in the apron replied. "So we keep her separate and save her for last."

"Sure thing, Bert!" Tom replied as he roughly pinned Edlyn against a tree and started tying her to it with ropes. She struggled against her bonds and the dwarves threatened and pleaded as the trolls discussed how they were going to cook them.

"They should be sauteed and grilled with a sprinkle of sage." The troll in the apron said, who was called Bert.

"Oh, that sounds quite nice." Tom said.

"Never mind the seasoning; we ain't got all night!" Said the third troll, who they soon learned was called William. "Dawn ain't far away, so let's get a move on. I don't fancy being turned to stone."

Wait, what?

Edlyn stopped when she heard what he said, and then she turned and made eye contact with Bilbo and saw that he had heard it as well. She started racking her brain, trying to come up with a plan, but Bilbo beat her to it.

"Wait! You are making a terrible mistake." He said, managing to stand up.

"You can't reason with them, they're half-wits!" Dori shouted.

"Half-wits? What does that make us?" Bofur asked.

"I meant, uh, with the seasoning." Bilbo responded.

"What about the seasoning?" Bert asked.

"Well, have you smelt them?" Bilbo said. "Your going to need something stronger than sage before you plate this lot up."

The dwarves started yelling at him and calling him a traitor, but Edlyn understood. That clever hobbit was trying to stall for time. As usual, she felt the need to help him.

"He's right!" She piped up. Everyone looked at her. "Uh, sage is not nearly strong enough. You have to use something else. There is a secret to cooking dwarf, you know."

"Not you too, lassie!" Gloin said. Fili gave her a betrayed look that just broke her heart, but she tried to ignore it.

"And what would you two know about cooking dwarf?" William asked.

"Shut up," Said Bert. "And let the, uh, flurgaburburrahobbit and the She-Man talk. What's the secret?"

Edlyn paused when she realized that the troll was addressing her. Her mind went completely blank.

"Uh, the s-secret?" She stammered. "The secret is..is… I can't remember. Bilbo, you know the secret, what is it again, I forgot." She said frantically.

Bilbo seemed a bit flustered that she had passed the torch to him, but he kept his composure.

"The secret is...to skin them first!"

Well, that escalated quickly!

Edlyn looked at Bilbo, her blue eyes wide in a slightly horrified look at the extreme suggestion. But then she reminded herself that he was just trying to stall, so she played along.

"Oh yes! That's it, now I remember." She said.

The dwarves all started shouting and threatening the two of them while the trolls argued about the validity of the idea.

"What a load of rubbish!" William said. "I've eaten plenty with their skins on. Scuff em, I say, boots and all."

'E's right! Nothing wrong with a bit of raw dwarf!" Tom said. "Nice and crunchy." He then picked up Bombur and held him over his gaping mouth, ready to eat him whole.

"Not-not that one, he-he's infected!" Bilbo said frantically. Tom stopped and looked at Bilbo curiously. "Yeah, he's got worms in his...tubes." Tom threw Bombur back onto the pile of dwarves in disgust. "In-in fact, they all have, they're in-infested with parasites. It's nasty business; I wouldn't risk it, I really wouldn't."

"It's true." Edlyn said. "They're riddled with parasites. I should know; I'm their healer and I have to treat them for it everyday. It's disgusting. I wouldn't chance it if I were you."

"Parasites, did they say parasites?" Oin asked.

"We don't have parasites!" Kili shouted. "YOU have parasites! You both do!"

The dwarves then started shouting about how they didn't have parasites and Edlyn let out an annoyed sigh. She looked at Bilbo and saw him roll his eyes as well. These dwarves weren't very bright, were they? Thankfully, Thorin understood the plan and kicked Kili in the head, informing him and the others of their intentions.

"I've got parasites as big as my arm." Oin said.

"Mine are the biggest parasites, I have huge parasites!" Kili said. The other dwarves chimed in, all claiming that they did have parasites.

"Well, what would you have us do, then, let em all go?" William asked.

"Well..." Bilbo said.

"You think I don't know what you're up to?" William said. "This little ferret is taking us for fools!"

"Ferret?" Bilbo said.

"Fools?" Said Bert.

"And this little wench is trying to help him!" Tom said, pointing to Edlyn.

"Wench?!" She shouted. How dare he call her that! She would have started throwing excessive profanities at them if she had not been interrupted by a familiar figure that appeared atop the rock behind them.

"The dawn will take you all!" Gandalf shouted as he struck the rock with his staff, splitting it in half.

The rays of the morning sun shone bright through it and turned the trolls to stone as soon as it touched their skin. The dwarves started cheering at the trolls demise while the ones who were on the spit complained about how uncomfortable they were in their current positions.

"Now get your foot out of my back!" Dwalin shouted to whomever had their foot pressed into his shoulder blades.

Edlyn looked at Gandalf. "Cutting it a little close, don't you think?!" She shouted at him. Then she let out a relieved laugh.

Despite everything, she was just thankful that everyone was alive and in one piece.


	8. Book I CH 8: Radagast the Brown

**~Radagast the Brown~  
**

The dwarves were all freed from their bonds. As soon as he was free from the sack he was in, Fili ran over to Edlyn and started untying the ropes that restrained her.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Well, other than the fact that I kind of smell like troll now, I'm fine." She said with a smirk. He smiled back at her "Just so you know I would never sell you guys out to anyone, least of all to a bunch of dim-witted trolls." She said.

"I know." He said. "I shouldn't have doubted."

"But you did." She replied, giving him a hurt look. "I saw it in your eyes."

Fili's face fell slightly. "I know. I'm sorry."

She nodded slowly. "Well, it appears as though the others require my assistance. So, if you'll excuse me."

She got up and went over to assist the other dwarves. The only one who was seriously injured in any way was Bombur, who had some cuts and bruises after being tossed by Tom.

The rest of the dwarves, mainly the ones who were tied to the spit, had to be treated for some rope burns; nothing Edlyn couldn't handle. However, she had to get Oin to help her take care of poor Bofur, who somehow managed to get a rope burn in a place that she couldn't look at, because she was a woman.

Other than that, everyone was relatively unharmed. And Edlyn was very happy that none of them actually had parasites.

* * *

"Where did you go to, if I may ask?" Thorin asked Gandalf.

"To look ahead." The wizard replied.

"What brought you back?" Thorin inquired.

"Looking behind." Gandalf answered. Thorin smiled slightly. "Nasty business. Still, they are all in one piece."

"No thanks to your burglar, and your healer." Thorin said.

"The two of them had the nous to play for time. None of the rest of you thought of that." Thorin looked repentant, then he and Gandalf examined the statues of the trolls. " They must have come down from the Ettenmoors."

"Since when do mountain trolls travel this far south?" Thorin asked

"Oh, not for an age, not since a darker power ruled these lands." The two of them looked at each other meaningfully. "They could not have moved in daylight."

"There must be a cave nearby."

* * *

The company found the trolls cave a little while later. Edlyn didn't really care to be in there because it stank of troll and she had had enough of that for one lifetime.

While Thorin and Gandalf inspected two very beautiful elven swords they had found, the young healer watched as the dwarves started collecting the treasure that the trolls had hoarded, rolling her eyes as they placed it in a chest and buried it.

"We're making a long term deposit." Gloin said.

After that, Edlyn didn't hesitate to follow the dwarves out of the cave because she was starting to get sick of the smell.

As she walked out, she looked up and saw Fili smiling hesitantly at her. Her heart skipped a beat and whatever sort of hurt she felt towards him disappeared. There was something about that smile of his that she found irresistible. She smiled back as she walked over to him.

"Am I forgiven now?" He asked.

"Why wouldn't you be?" She asked. "Even though your slip in faith before hurt me a little I'm not going to hold it against you." Fili's face softened a bit at this statement. "Just remember that you can always trust me."

"We'll remember." Kili said, suddenly appearing beside his brother. Edlyn smiled at the two young princes whom she had become the closest with in the last few weeks.

She then turned around before she had the chance to see Kili give his brother a nudge and mouth _'tell her'_ only to have him shake his head _no_.

Meanwhile Edlyn's gaze was focused on Gandalf and she saw him give Bilbo a sword. Actually, it was more like a dagger; not big enough for a human or even a dwarf but the right size for a hobbit.

 _"Good."_ She thought to herself. " _It's about time the hobbit had something to defend himself with."_

* * *

"Something's coming!"

Thorin's words snapped everyone out of their thoughts. Edlyn's heart started pounding as she and everyone else drew their weapons and ran off into the woods, ready to face whatever was headed their way. They heard a shout come from the bushes.

"Thieves! Fire! Murder!"

The sight that met their eyes was the last thing they had expected. Out of the brush came a sled that was being pulled by rabbits; very large rabbits, actually. The sled was being driven by a funny looking, older man who was covered from head to foot in brown clothing and a hat to match. He had long shaggy brown hair and a beard with grey streaks. He rode in and stopped a few feet in front of the company.

"Radagast! Radagast the Brown." Gandalf said. "Ah. What on earth are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, Gandalf." Radagast said. "Something's wrong. Something's terribly wrong."

"Yes?" Gandalf asked.

Radagast opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He tried again a couple more times but nothing happened. It appeared as though he forgot what he was going to say.

"Um, oh, I had a thought, and now I've lost it." He said. "It was, it was right there, on the tip of my tongue." Then he paused and rolled his tongue a bit. "Oh, it's not a thought at all; it's a silly old...stick insect." He said as Gandalf pulled a stick insect out of his mouth.

Edlyn's face twisted into a look of confusion as she watched Gandalf interact with the strange wizard. She looked over at the dwarves and Bilbo and saw that they all looked just a confused and flustered as she was.

Fili and Kili looked at her with a questioning gaze, but she just shrugged. She had never met Radagast the Brown before, but she had heard of him from Master Redd. He said that Radagast was a very peculiar fellow, and she could see that he wasn't exaggerating.

She turned her head and noticed that Radagast was looking right at her with a wide eyed stare.

"You!" He said, walking towards her. Edlyn shifted, unsure as to why he was looking at her that way. "A moonstone! You're wearing a moonstone! Oh, my dear!" He exclaimed with a smile.

Then suddenly, like an affectionate grandfather, he wrapped his arms around her in tight hug. She let out a surprised gasp, completely unsure as to how to react to this sudden act.

The rest of the company all looked at her for an explanation but she was just as surprised and confused as they were. She had never met Radagast before and she had no idea why he was hugging her. Very awkwardly, she returned his hug, still not sure as to what it was all about. Radagast let go of her and kept smiling.

"You're one of Old Redd's students!" He said.

Edlyn looked at him surprised. "You mean Master Redd?" He nodded. "Yes, I am."

"I knew it! I'd recognize that moonstone necklace anywhere." He said. "So, tell me, how is the old rascal doing, eh?"

"Oh uh, he is doing quite well, thank you." She stammered, still surprised. "Although he claims that age is starting to catch up to him."

"Age catching up to Old Redd? I find that hard to believe." The brown wizard replied.

"So, you know Master Redd?" She asked.

"My dear, every wizard alive knows Hruin Redd. He's made quite a name for himself." He answered. "Did you know that some of his methods were inspired by tricks that I showed him?" Edlyn shook her head. "Well, it's true. In fact, I remember one time when..."

"Radagast!" Gandalf said.

"Hm, what?" Radagast asked spinning around.

"Leave the poor woman alone." Gandalf said. "Besides, you said you needed to tell me something?"

"Ah, yes!" Radagast replied before turning back to Edlyn and gingerly taking both her hands in his. "We'll talk more about this later, my dear."

Edlyn nodded, smiling awkwardly as Radagast and Gandalf walked a few paces away to talk in private.

She watched them, still a bit surprised by the whole thing. Then she rubbed her arms which were sore from Radagast's unexpected hug. She had to admit, for an old man, he had quite a grip.

* * *

Gandalf and Radagast conversed for a while and Edlyn couldn't help but eavesdrop a bit. She didn't understand most of what they were talking about because honestly, she didn't understand the affairs of wizards. She only caught a little bit of the conversation; something about giant spiders and a necromancer. She didn't know what it meant but she didn't like the sound of it. Suddenly, there was a howl in the distance that made her blood run cold. She knew that sound.

"Was that a wolf?" Bilbo asked. "Are there-are there wolves out there?"

"Wolves?" Bofur said. "No, that is not a wolf."

No, it wasn't a wolf, not at all. But everyone knew what it was. They looked up and that's when they saw it; the Warg, standing behind a nearby crag. Edlyn let out a yell and ran forward, shoving Bofur and Bilbo out of the way as the Warg leaped into the midst of the company, knocking one of the other dwarves down. That Warg was killed by Thorin, however, another Warg attacked from the other side. That Warg was shot by Kili and later killed by Dwalin.

"Warg Scouts!" Thorin said. "Which means an Orc pack is not far behind."

Oh, brilliant.

"Who did you tell about your quest, beyond your kin?" Gandalf asked.

"No one." Thorin said.

"Who did you tell?" The wizard demanded.

"No one, I swear. What in Durin's name is going on?"

"You are being hunted."

* * *

 **A/N: Oh Radagast! I love him and his lack of social skills :D Anyway, this is the first major cliffhanger we will have, and this isn't even the worst one. There will be bigger ones later.**

 **Also, the whole Fili/Edlyn trust conversation was something I added here. It wasn't in the original story.**


	9. Book I CH 9: The Chase

**~The Chase~  
**

Wargs! Why did it have to be Wargs!? Edlyn had encountered Wargs only once before but she hated them with a burning passion; she didn't know anyone who didn't.

They had to get out of there. Edlyn's heart sank, however, when Ori ran forward and announced that the ponies had bolted; even Silver had run off. Poor thing must have been terrified! She couldn't say she blamed him. He hated Wargs as much as she did; they both had a bad experience with them, a very bad experience. Although, he certainly picked a lousy time to run away.

"I'll draw them off." Radagast said.

What, was he nuts?

"These are Gundabad Wargs; they will outrun you." Gandalf said.

"These are Rhosgobel Rabbits." Radagast replied. "I'd like to see them try."

* * *

Radagast wasted no time in making himself known to the Wargs; and they certainly wasted no time to chase him. As soon as they saw him and his rabbit drawn sled come flying out of the forest they were immediately in pursuit.

Radagast teased and taunted as he led the Orc pack on a merry chase. Gandalf and the rest of the company were standing behind a rock, watching Radagast as he led the Orcs away from them. As soon as they were out of sight, the company started moving.

"Come on!" Gandalf said.

The company rushed across the rocky plain. Edlyn made a point to stay as close to the dwarves as she possibly could, mainly Fili. In the distance, she could hear the howls of the Wargs as they chased Radagast across the terrain. Everyone looked and saw that the Wargs were not that far away from them, so they all hid behind some rocks.

"Stay together." Gandalf said.

"Move!" Thorin said. The chase continued across the plain. Gandalf was the one who was leading the company and they all wondered where he was leading them to.

"Come on! Quick!" Gandalf said. The dwarves did as they were told and kept on running. Thorin turned to Gandalf.

"Where are you leading us?" He asked. Gandalf didn't answer.

Quite frankly, the young healer didn't really care where he was leading them, just as long as it was as far away from the Wargs as they could get. Her heart started pounding with fear when she saw one of the Wargs coming their way; he must have caught their scent.

The company took cover behind an outcropping of rock and Edlyn held her breath in order to not make a sound when she looked up and saw the Warg atop the rock, looking for them. Thorin gave Kili a nod and Kili readied his arrow. In one swift movement, Kili stepped out and shot the Warg, causing it to fall. The rest of the dwarves finished it off; however, the sound of the whole thing caught the other Wargs attention.

"They're coming!" Edlyn said when she looked up and saw them heading in their direction.

"Move. Run!" Gandalf yelled and they did just that.

The company ran across the plain and Edlyn looked around and saw that the Wargs were beginning to close in on them from all sides.

"This way! Quickly!" Gandalf shouted. They ran for a little while then halted in a clearing when they noticed that they were practically surrounded by Wargs.

"There are more coming!" Kili shouted.

"Kili! Shoot them!" Thorin commanded. Kili obeyed and started shooting Wargs and Warg-riders, killing some of them.

"We're surrounded!" Fili shouted. He was right, they were.

Edlyn unsheathed her sword and prepared herself to fight.

"Where's Gandalf?" Kili asked.

Edlyn looked around frantically and saw that Gandalf was no where to be found. Blasted wizard! Why is he always disappearing?!

"He's abandoned us!" Dwalin shouted.

Edlyn refused to believe that, but she couldn't worry about it right now.

"Hold your ground!" Thorin ordered.

The healer readied herself to take on any Warg that tried to attack. Just then, she heard a loud growl to her right and upon turning saw a Warg come charging at her.

What happened next was a blur.

She didn't know what the heck possessed her at that moment. Whether it was courage, determination, stupidity or just pure adrenaline, she did not know. All she knew is that at that moment when the Warg charged at her, she leapt out of the way. In the process, she grabbed onto the Wargs' saddle as it ran past her, and with an unnatural strength that was obviously not her own, she hoisted herself onto its back, right behind the rider.

Both the Warg and its rider were taken off guard by this sudden action and the rider started fighting with his attacker. She fought back, and the Warg, whose rider was now distracted, started running aimlessly in the same direction, far away from the fight, taking Edlyn and the rider with it.

"Edlyn!" Fili shouted when he turned around and saw her being carried off by the Warg. He would have gone after them but Dwalin grabbed him from behind.

"Let her go, Fili! We have to follow Gandalf! The Wargs are closing in!" He said.

"No! I'm not leaving her!" Fili shouted defiantly.

"We don't have a choice, lad! Come on!"

Dwalin dragged Fili towards the crack in the rock where Gandalf and the other dwarves had jumped into. Fili very reluctantly followed. But before he jumped in himself, he turned and looked towards where Edlyn and the Warg had disappeared.

"Please, be safe." He said, as if she could hear him somehow. Then he jumped in after everyone else and was followed by Kili and Thorin.

* * *

Edlyn, meanwhile, were anything but safe.

The Warg that she had hitched a ride on continued to run aimlessly across the plain while she and its rider wrestled each other on its back. Suddenly, the Warg lost its footing and started tumbling along the ground.

Both Edlyn and the rider were tossed from the Warg's back and tumbled along the ground with it. The impact caused the wind to be knocked out of her and when she stopped tumbling, all she could do was lay on the ground, stunned.

When she finally regained her senses she stood up shakily, wincing with a groan. Surprisingly, she appeared to be unharmed, but not for long. She looked over and saw both the Warg and its rider get up before the rider mounted his steed. The rider turned and looked at her with a expression of murder in his eyes and let out a yell as he and the Warg charged at her again.

Edlyn dove out of the way just in time and then became aware that she no longer had her sword. She looked and saw it laying several feet away; apparently, it had been knocked from her hand when she was tossed by the Warg. She ran for it just as the Warg turned to charge at her again and as soon as she grabbed it, she faced her enemy with her sword at the ready.

The Warg stopped and started snarling and rearing as she swung her blade to fend it off. Suddenly, just as she attempted to plunge the sword into it, the Warg caught the blade sideways between its teeth and, with a forceful tug, it ripped the sword right out of her hand.

She was thrown to the ground as the Warg twisted its neck and threw the sword several feet away behind it.

Edlyn got up and tried to run to retrieve it, but every time she moved around either side of it, the Warg would cut her off. Realizing it was hopeless, she started backing up and the Warg slowly followed.

Suddenly, her back hit something solid, and when she turned she saw that she had backed up right into the rocky side of a small slope.

Her heart was pounding in terror as she turned to face the Warg that was closing in on her.

She couldn't go backwards, forwards or around it. She had no weapon and she was defenseless. She stood and stared into the eyes of the Warg as it closed in on her, with no hope and no means of escape.

She was trapped!

* * *

 **A/N: Watch the Warg attack scene from The Two Towers movie and you will see which character inspired Edlyn's little stunt with the Warg.**


	10. Book I CH 10: Rescued

**~Rescued~  
**

Terror racked Edlyn's entire body as she remained trapped by the Warg that was moving closer to her; teeth bared, ready to attack. It was nearly on top of her and she could feel its hot breath on her face, a sensation that made her sick and paralyzed her with fear at the knowledge of how close it was.

The orc on its back gave her an evil smile and then spat something at her in Black Speech. She had no idea what he said, but she guessed he was bragging about how he was going to have his Warg rip her apart.

Edlyn's world went white and a loud ringing filled her ears as fear and dread locked her joints, stopping her from moving or even crying out. She no longer wished to look at the terrible beast so she closed her eyes; silently, helplessly awaiting her fate.

She was at the mercy of the Warg now; a mercy that she knew it would never give.

Suddenly, the ringing in her ears was pierced by the loud sound of a horse neighing, and it sounded close. Edlyn opened her eyes and her heart started pounding with excitement; she'd recognize that neigh anywhere.

She looked up and that's when she saw him standing on the slope right above her head, his silver grey coat flashing in the sunlight like fire and his brown eyes burning with determination as he looked down at the Warg that was about to attack his mistress.

"Silver?"

Edlyn's eyes weren't playing tricks on her. Silver had come back! He came back for her! He was willing to face Wargs just to protect her! She had never been happier to see him in all her life. Both the Warg and its rider looked up in surprise and confusion at this new arrival.

Silver snorted and let out another loud neigh that almost sounded like a battle cry. He reared up on his hind legs and then, with great strength and power, he leapt off the slope. His front hooves collided with the orc's face and knocked him clean off his steed. The orc's feet were locked tight in the saddle and the force of the impact caused the Warg to topple backwards as well. Miraculously, Silver landed on his feet without a scratch.

Edlyn didn't waste any time. As soon as her path was cleared, she ran for her sword. The second the blade was in her hand, she let out a yell and ran forward, plunging it into the orc's chest before he even got off the ground. The orc let out a bloodcurdling scream then fell over dead.

She turned around and saw Silver and the Warg facing off against each other. Silver's ears were pressed back, his head was hung low and he was pawing at the ground, staring the Warg down as it crept closer to him.

"No!" Edlyn shouted as she charged forward and sliced through the Warg's hind legs.

The Warg let out a screeching howl and fell to the ground. She didn't hesitate to sink her sword into it repeatedly. It was overkill, but she didn't care.

Edlyn stopped when she knew it was dead. She turned to Silver, who was bobbing his head up and down, as if approving of her deed. She ran over to him and threw her arms around his neck, practically crying as she buried her face in his mane.

"I knew you'd come back for me." She whispered.

Silver rubbed his face against hers like he always did to show his affection. She laughed lightly, but then she became aware that he was limping. She looked him over and her heart sank when she saw the large gash on his right front leg that traveled up his side and stopped at his jawline. He must have gotten it when he was facing off against the Warg.

"Oh, Silver." Edlyn said sadly.

Suddenly, she heard another howl and turned around to see one riderless Warg running towards them.

"Oh, come on!" She shouted, slightly annoyed since she had had quite enough of Wargs for one lifetime.

She readied her sword, standing in between the now injured Silver and their Warg attacker, prepared to cut it down. But, just as the Warg was almost on top of them, Edlyn heard something whiz through the air and the Warg fell down dead at her feet.

When she finally recovered from the shock, she saw the large arrow that was sticking out of the Warg's skull. She quickly found out who had shot that arrow when she heard the sound of a horn being blown and approaching horses.

Before Edlyn knew it, she was surrounded by multiple riders on large, white chargers, each one of the riders wearing fancy armor. It didn't take her long to figure out who they were.

"Elves." She said.

* * *

Six elven riders surrounded them on all sides. One of them rode forward and dismounted his steed. His armor was a bit more elaborate than the others, so Edlyn guessed he must have been their captain. He removed his helmet and she was able to get a good look at him.

He appeared to be quite young, probably in his late twenties to early thirties. Of course, she remembered that elves are immortal, so he could have been thousands of years old. He had all the typical qualities of an elf, such as the smooth, fair skin and pointed ears. He had long, raven black hair and emerald green eyes that contained an unearthly wisdom that she knew only an elf would possess. Overall, he was quite handsome and she couldn't help but blush a bit as he looked her over from head to foot.

"I am Meraell of Rivendell." He told her. "I am the captain of Lord Elrond's guard."

"Lord Elrond?" Edlyn said.

It was all starting to make sense. Rivendell, that's where Gandalf was leading them, and why he didn't say anything to Thorin since everyone knew how much he distrusted the Elves.

Meraell nodded. "And who might you be, if you don't mind me asking?"

Edlyn bowed. "I am Edlyn of Rohan, daughter of Deogol and a student of Hruin Redd."

Meraell looked at her in surprise. "Edhelnost, the healer?"

Edlyn paused for a moment. Then she remembered that Edhelnost was Master Redd's Sindarin name, the name that all the elves knew him by.

"Oh uh, yes." She said. "Hruin Redd, or Edhelnost, as you may know him. He is my master. Here, see."

She pulled out the moonstone necklace that was around her neck and showed it to him. Meraell held the necklace in his hand, studying it for a moment before looking at her with a smile.

"All elves know of Edhelnost and what he has done throughout Middle-Earth, as well as his ties to our people." He said. "I must say, it is an honor to be in the presence of one of his students."

"It's not as wonderful as actually being in his presence, though, is it?" She said.

Meraell smiled. "No, I think it's just as wonderful, maybe even better. I never expected one of Edhelnost's students to be so fair."

He smiled at her again and Edlyn gave him a disbelieving look. She wasn't sure if this elf was joking or not since her encounter with the Wargs had left her appearance haggard and looking anything but fair. A part of her thought he was, but there was something in his eyes that told her he wasn't.

"However, the last I heard, Edhelnost was down in Edoras on business." Meraell said. "What are you doing so far away from your master?"

Edlyn paused, wondering if she should give the whole story or not.

"I was travelling with Gandalf the Grey." She finally said. Meraell looked surprised but she kept talking. "We were accompanied by a hobbit and 13 dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield. We were heading east when we were attacked by Wargs."

"Ah, that explains why the Wargs came so close to our borders." Meraell said with a knowing smirk.

"Ah, yes. That was our fault. Sorry." She said, casting her eyes to the ground

"It's alright." The elf captain replied.

"You haven't seen them, have you?" Edlyn asked. "My company? Oh no! I hope they're alright!" She started to get panicky when she realized that she had no idea what happened to the others. What if they had been killed!

Meraell placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Calm yourself." He said. She immediately did. "I have not seen your friends. But if Mithrandir is with them then I'm sure they are alright. Meanwhile, we cannot leave you out here alone. We must take you back to Rivendell. I am sure my Lord Elrond would love to meet you since he knows your master well. And while you're there, we will search for your friends. They might even be there waiting for you."

"I hope so." She said, and then she remembered something. "Oh, and while you're at it, do you think you can help my horse here? He got hurt when the Wargs attacked."

Meraell looked at Silver and inspected the wound on his side. "I think there is something we can do." He said with a smile. "Ralla." He said, walking over to one of the other elves.

"Yes, captain?" That elf asked. Meraell said something to him in Elvish and that elf, whose name Edlyn guessed was Ralla, turned around and galloped off towards the East.

"What is he doing? She asked Meraell.

"I sent him ahead to inform Lord Elrond that we would be bringing you in with us." He said.

"Oh yes, of course." She said. "You don't want to bring some strange woman into Rivendell unannounced, now do you?"

"Oh, I think once he sees you he won't think you're quite so strange." He said, giving her another warm smile.

She wasn't sure how she felt about the way he was looking at her.

"However, it seems as though your horse is too injured to carry you. So, you'll have to ride with me." He said.

She couldn't complain, so she walked over to his steed and attempted to mount it. It was a big horse, so Meraell had to hoist her up by her waist in order to help her. He mounted the horse and was seated right behind her on its back. Another elf grabbed Silver by the reigns and led him as they all started trotting off towards Rivendell.

Edlyn just hoped that the rest of the company would make it there safely.

* * *

 **A/N: Another OC joins the game. This one, the elf Meraell, is played by Tom Hiddleston. Yeah, that's right; the Hiddles will be playing an elf in my story! And you guys are gonna love him, while also simultaneously having your lives ruined by him! But that's Hiddleston for you! *shrugs***

 **And as you guys may have noticed, Meraell basically looks like Loki. Yeah, I claim no originality on his looks at all.**

 **One more thing, Master Redd's Sindarin name has been changed from the original version of this story. His name used to be Clylla, however I just recently found out that Clylla is not a real Sindarin word nor does it appear in any Elvish language. I just picked it off of a Middle Earth name generator I found online.**

 **However, I decided that I wanted to give him a real Sindarin name so I chose Edhelnost. I won't tell you what it means yet because you'll find out in couple chapters. Kind of a surprise, you know.**

 **Also, so much love for Silver in this chapter! 3**


	11. Book I CH 11: Reunion in Rivendell

**~Reunion in Rivendell~  
**

"Gandalf, we have to go back." Fili said, desperately pleading with the wizard as the company crossed the bridge that led into Rivendell. "We can't just leave Edlyn behind with those Wargs, they'll kill her! We have to go back!"

Gandalf turned and looked down at the young dwarf as he gazed up at him, his eyes flashing with desperation and concern. Gandalf tried to comfort him with a smile.

"I don't believe we have anything to worry about." He answered. "Edlyn should be just fine. The elves will take care of the Wargs. She will be safe in their hands, don't you worry."

With that, Gandalf turned and kept walking. Fili stopped and stared, his mind reeling and his heart pounding with fear at the thought of what could, or has happened to his friend. Not knowing was the worst part. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to find that it was Kili.

"Gandalf's right." Kili said. "The elves will save her."

"They will not help." Thorin muttered bitterly as he passed the two of them to follow Gandalf.

"Don't listen to him." Kili said when he saw the worried look on his brother's face at their uncle's remark. "They will help. She is human and the elves will certainly help a human. She'll be alright, I'm sure of it."

"What if she's not?" Fili asked. "What if they don't get to her in time? If anything happened to her, I'd never forgive myself."

"Nothing will happen to her." Kili said.

"He's right." Bofur said, coming up from behind them. "She is a strong lass. She will not give in to those Wargs without a fight. She will be just fine, you'll see."

Fili gave them an unsure look as he continued walking into Rivendell. While Bilbo gazed admirably at the beauty of the place, the dwarves were uneasy. The company was greeted by a dark haired elf.

"Mithrandir." He said.

"Ah, Lindir." Gandalf said, addressing the elf.

" _ **We heard you had crossed into the Valley"**_ Lindir said to him in Elvish.

"I must speak with Lord Elrond." Gandalf said.

"My Lord Elrond is not here." Lindir answered.

"Not here?" Gandalf asked. "Where is he?"

Just then, Elrond and the rest of the elven riders came riding in, causing the dwarves to ready themselves to fight since they thought the elves were attacking them.

"Gandalf." Elrond said as he rode forward.

"Lord Elrond." Gandalf greeted. _**"My friend! Where have you been?"**_

" _ **We've been hunting a pack of orcs that came up from the South."**_ Elrond answered. _**"We slew a number near the Hidden Pass."**_ He gave the Wizard a hug.

"Strange for orcs to come so close to our borders." He continued in the Common Tongue. "Something, or someone, has drawn them near." He pulled out an orc sword and handed it to Lindir.

"Ah, that may have been us." Gandalf said apologetically.

Elrond then turned and greeted Thorin. "Welcome Thorin, son of Thrain."

"I do not believe we have met." Thorin said with a hint of disfavor.

"You have your grandfather's bearing." Elrond said. "I knew Thror when he ruled under the mountain."

"Indeed? He made no mention of you." Thorin said, in a manner that was meant to be insulting.

There was a short silence after that. Suddenly, everyone turned when they heard a horse neighing and saw one more elven rider ride into Rivendell.

* * *

Ralla rode into Rivendell and dismounted his horse. He walked towards Elrond, stopping for a moment to look at the company as he passed them. They looked at him curiously when a smile crossed his face.

"Ralla." Elrond said. Ralla turned and walked towards him.

"My Lord Elrond." He said with a bow. Elrond returned it and Ralla turned to Gandalf. "Mithrandir." Gandalf nodded to him.

"You come alone." Elrond said. "What news from the captain of the guard?"

"My lord," Ralla said. "Meraell sent me ahead to inform you that he will be arriving in Rivendell shortly. The reason for his lateness is because he, myself and the rest of his troop have just rescued a young, human woman from a Warg out near the Western border."

He turned and looked at the company, whose interests were piqued by the news he brought.

"And judging from what I see here, this must be the company she was traveling with." He finished.

"Edlyn?" Fili asked, stepping forward.

Ralla looked at him. "Yes, that's her name."

"Is she alright!?" Fili asked. "She's not hurt, is she?"

The others all started chiming in, asking the exact same question. Ralla didn't get a chance to speak over the chattering dwarves. It wasn't until Thorin yelled at them to be quiet that he was able to talk.

"If you fear for your friend, I can assure you, you have no reason to worry. She is completely unharmed; a bit shaken but unharmed." Ralla said.

The company all breathed a sigh of relief. Ralla smiled and turned to Elrond. "Meraell will be escorting her into Rivendell, they should be arriving soon."

"Thank you, Ralla." Elrond said. Ralla bowed.

"My Lord," Ralla said. "There is one more thing. This young woman was wearing a moonstone necklace."

Elrond looked at him in surprise and Ralla nodded, as if to confirm his unspoken suspicion.

"Gandalf, is that true?" Elrond asked. "Do you have one of Edhelnost's students among your company?"

Gandalf smiled. "Yes, I do. But don't worry, I asked for permission before I borrowed her."

"I hope so." Elrond said with a small smile. "You know how picky he can be about that."

Gandalf chuckled.

"Well, this is most fortunate." Elrond said as he turned to Thorin and the others. "Your friend should be quite safe. Meraell is among my most trusted, so she is in good hands. Ah, here they come now."

The company all turned their heads and saw another host of elven riders come riding in.

* * *

Edlyn rode into Rivendell with Meraell behind her on the horse's back. Her encounter with the Warg had taken a lot out of her and she hung her head a bit.

She looked up right as they started crossing the bridge into Rivendell and that's when she saw them all standing there at the entrance looking at her with relieved smiles on their faces. At first she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, but she soon found out that they weren't.

"They're here!" She exclaimed in excitement.

Upon entering, Meraell dismounted and then proceeded to help her off the horse. He looked at her for a moment with a smile and she smiled gratefully to him before turning to face the company.

She only walked a few steps towards them before falling to her knees, partially from exhaustion but mostly so that she could receive proper hugs from the dwarves. The first ones to hug her were Kili and Bofur, who practically knocked her over. The others joined in; all of them chattering about how happy they were that she was alright.

The last person to hug her was Fili, who wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. He held on to her for a long time and Edlyn's heart started to race at the feeling of his strong arms around her. It was a comforting feeling, especially after what she had been through and she didn't want him to let her go. But she quickly became aware that everyone else was staring.

"Uh Fili, you can let me go now." She said.

He quickly obeyed. "Right, sorry." He said. "I'm just so glad you're alright."

"Likewise." She said, standing up.

"You look terrible." Kili commented.

He was right, she was a mess. Her face and clothes were smeared with dirt and blood from the Warg and the orc that she killed. Her right sleeve was torn exposing her bare shoulder. Her long, curly, dark brown hair was starting to come out of the braid it was in and was hanging down in her face. She was exhausted and sweaty. She had gone through hell and it showed.

"Well," She said to Kili. "You try going up against a Warg single handedly and see how you look afterwards. Besides, I look better than you any day."

The other dwarves chuckled and Kili rolled his eyes. Edlyn turned to Thorin and bowed to him.

"What you did out there was foolish, young lady." He said.

"I agree with you, Thorin." She admitted. "It was foolish, and reckless, and brainless and every other word of that nature. And I have no intention whatsoever of ever doing it again."

He gave her a small smile. "I'm just relieved that you're alright."

"Yeah, you really scared us out there, lass." Bofur said.

"Yeah, I scared myself pretty good there, too." She replied.

The dwarves all smiled at that remark. Edlyn turned and walked over to Gandalf, giving him a hug as well.

"Rivendell, huh?" She whispered to him. "You know, you could have told me you were planning on coming here."

Gandalf didn't answer, he just shrugged. Edlyn rolled her eyes then stopped when she noticed the very important elf standing to her right. She turned and bowed to Elrond, who smiled and reached forward, gently grabbing the necklace around her neck and holding it in his hand.

"It appears as though your master is a very important person, young lady." He said.

She smiled. "Yes, it appears as though he is."

"I have never met any of Edhelnost's students before, and it is an honor to finally do so." The elf lord said.

"Believe me, the honor is mine." She replied.

"Well, you are most welcome here, child." Elrond said with a kind smile.

She smiled back and bowed to him again. Elrond turned to the company and said something in Elvish.

"What is he saying?" Gloin asked. "Does he mean to offer us insult?" The others started to get angry.

"No, Master Gloin, he is offering you food." Gandalf said. Food sounded really good at the moment.

"Ah well, in that case, lead on." Gloin said.

Elrond turned to Edlyn. "We should get you cleaned up. You can't go to dinner looking like that."

She nodded. "Yes, I don't believe that orc blood is the most proper dinner attire, now is it?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Edlyn saw Gandalf shake his head at her remark, but Elrond smiled.

"I can see some of Edhelnost's wit has rubbed off on you." He said with a chuckle.

Edlyn shrugged and gave him another smile as he led her, Gandalf and the rest of the company into Rivendell.

* * *

 **This is just a brief lettering guide to help you guys out a bit:  
**

 **Normal lettering=normal narrative  
Normal lettering in parentheses=character speaking (obviously)  
Bold lettering=author's notes at the beginning and end of chapters and emphasized words  
Italics=memories, flashbacks, inner thoughts, hypothetical thinking, etc.  
Bold Italics=character speaking in different language (for when I'm too lazy to use the words of the actual language, or learn them)  
Caps lock=character shouting  
**  
 **Just so we're clear.**


	12. Book I CH 12: Fine Dining

**A/N: I forgot to mention that the segment when they're in Rivendell will take up about four to five chapters, so it will be a bit long. I have some interesting stuff planned for these scenes. Also, the chapters are going to start getting a bit longer as we go on.**

* * *

 **~Fine Dining~**

The first thing Edlyn did was bathe to get all the dirt and orc blood off of her. She never had an Elvish style bath before, but it was one of the most heavenly things she had ever experienced.

Afterwards, she was escorted to the guest room that she was going to be staying in. She stood there admiring the view out the window when there was a knock on the door. The door was opened to reveal a young elf maiden that looked to be about Edlyn's age, in appearance, anyways; there was no telling how old she actually was. She walked in and placed a beautiful, blue dress on the bed. Edlyn looked at it for a moment.

"Am I required to wear a dress to dinner?" She asked.

"It would be appropriate." The maiden said. "You are Lord Elrond's special guest, considering who your master is. Plus, you are a woman and you can't have dinner with Lord Elrond wearing men's clothes, can you?"

"That's true." Edlyn replied. "I'm just not used to wearing Elven dresses. The dresses I usually wear back home are much simpler than these."

"Well, you'll look beautiful, I'm sure of it." The maiden answered.

Edlyn smiled. "Thank you. What's your name?"

"Silmalia."

"That's a beautiful name, and it certainly suits you."

Silmalia blushed at her compliment; Edlyn smiled and went into the other room to change. The dress fit her perfectly. It was light and flowing and was a beautiful shade of deep blue with a silver belt that went right below her bust and sleeves that split and hung down, leaving her shoulders bare. She was surprised that it wasn't too long on her since Elven dresses are usually designed for Elves, who are tall creatures. Edlyn wasn't very tall, just barely 5'2. But the dress was just the right length, almost like it was made for her. She walked out and Silmalia smiled when she saw her.

"Like I said, beautiful." She said.

Edlyn blushed. "Now I just have to figure out what I'm going to do with my hair."

"Here, I'll help you with that." Silmalia offered.

She pulled up a chair for the other woman to sit on and the two of them spent the next 20 minutes talking while Silmalia worked on braiding Edlyn's hair. She asked her what it was like traveling with dwarves and all the young healer could say was that it was an interesting experience. When Silmalia was finished, Edlyn got up and went to go look in the mirror. As soon as she saw her own reflection, she let out a gasp.

"What's wrong?" Silmalia asked.

"Nothing." Edlyn replied. "It's just...I'm not used to seeing myself like this."

"Like what?"

"Beautiful."

Silmalia smiled. "You were already beautiful. Now come, my Lord Elrond is waiting for you."

With that, Edlyn turned and followed Silmalia as she led her to the courtyard where everyone was dining.

* * *

They both stopped when Silmalia told Edlyn that she had other duties to attend to and left the latter to continue on her own. Edlyn kept walking but paused again right before she entered the courtyard. She was apprehensive to move forward since she knew that the others had never seen her like this and she wasn't sure how they would react.

Finally, she took a deep breath and walked into the courtyard. She saw that the dwarves and Bilbo were seated at two short tables while Gandalf, Thorin and Elrond were seated at a taller table that was separate. She hoped that she could sneak around and sit next to Gandalf without being seen by everyone. No such luck.

"Ah, Edlyn." Gandalf said when he saw her.

Immediately, everyone's eyes turned to her.

 _"Thank you, Gandalf."_ She said sarcastically to herself, giving him a slightly annoyed look. " _Now everyone's staring at me."_

She had to admit, though; the looks on the dwarves' faces were priceless. Some raised their eyebrows in surprise while others stared at her open mouthed. A couple of them whistled which earned them a quick glare from the young healer. The rest of the dwarves were simply smiling at her warmly.

Fili was one of them.

* * *

As soon as he saw her standing there, Fili almost forgot to breathe. He had never seen Edlyn look that way. The dress she wore flattered her figure very well and the color of it made her pale blue eyes stand out like mad. Her dark, curly hair was done up in a half ponytail that was braided and wrapped around in a bun while the rest of her hair hung down her shoulders, with some small strands hanging down across her cheeks, framing her face beautifully.

He couldn't take his eyes off of her and he didn't even notice the smile that had spread across his lips. She looked beautiful, and her beauty was enhanced by the blush that was now crossing her face.

* * *

She was blushing, she knew she was. And the knowledge that she was blushing made Edlyn blush harder. She wasn't used to having all these people, most of them being male, staring at her. It was embarrassing, yet flattering at the same time. She wished it would stop, though. Thankfully, Gandalf broke the awkwardness by offering her the seat next to him. She happily accepted the offer and sat down beside him. She looked up and saw Fili smiling at her, causing her to blush again.

"Very beautiful, child." Elrond said with an impressed smile.

Edlyn bowed to say thank you and continued with dinner. Because the Elves were vegetarians, the food was more suited for them. But it was food nevertheless so she graciously accepted it. Thorin was looking at her with an uncertain expression, probably on account of the Elven dress she was wearing. Thankfully, he turned his attention away from her when Elrond started looking over the swords that they had found in the trolls' cave. Edlyn didn't really pay much attention to what they were saying about the swords. She was distracted by the interesting conversation going on at her right.

"Can't say I fancy elf maids myself." She heard Kili say. "Too thin. They're all high cheekbones and creamy skin. Not enough facial hair for me. Although," He said, eyeing an elf walking behind him. "That one there's not bad."

"That's not an elf maid." Dwalin said.

The elf in question turned around to reveal that he was most definitely NOT an elf maid. Kili turned back with an incredibly shocked look on his face and Edlyn had to bite her lip to contain her laughter. The other dwarves did not, however, and they all roared with laughter at Kili's mistake. Kili looked mortified and Edlyn smiled mischievously to herself; she was going to be getting a lot of mileage out of that one. She looked at Fili and he saw her smirk. He smirked back; they were both thinking the same thing.

Just then, everyone looked up and saw Meraell come walking into the courtyard. He stopped in front of the table that Elrond were sitting at and bowed to him.

"Meraell, what news do you bring?" Elrond asked.

"My Lord." Meraell said. "I have just come to inform you that the Wargs have been completely cleared from our borders and we'll be ready in case they come back."

"Excellent work." Elrond said.

Meraell bowed again, and then he looked at Edlyn and did a double take. "Edlyn?" He asked.

She smiled. "Hello, Meraell."

He smiled back. "Well, look at you. You clean up quite well."

"Well, it's certainly better than orc blood." She replied

He chuckled. "Yes, much better. Honestly though, I almost didn't recognize you."

"Believe me; I don't really recognize myself either." She said.

"Well, you look beautiful." He responded. "You truly look like you belong here with us."

Edlyn was taken off guard by that statement. "Oh uh, well, I wouldn't necessarily say that."

"I would." He said softly.

She looked up at him and he gazed down at her with a look of warm admiration in his eyes. Those green orbs of his looked deeply into her and she lowered her eyes to hide the blush on her face. Thorin rolled his eyes slightly at the sight before him, but Meraell kept looking at her, oblivious to all else. Thankfully, Elrond interrupted by clearing his throat.

"Is that all, Meraell?" He asked.

"Yes, my lord." Meraell said to Elrond, even though his eyes remained on Edlyn. He smiled and turned to leave, but not before passing one last warm glance at her as he disappeared out of the courtyard.

"Well, my dear." Elrond said to Edlyn. "It appears as though you have caught Meraell's eye."

Edlyn smiled and blushed again, although, she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about it. Thankfully, none of the other dwarves seemed to have noticed what had just happened. Other than Thorin, the only dwarf who did notice was Fili, who frowned as he watched Meraell leave.

"Anyway, tell me about your master." Elrond said. "How is he doing?"

"He's doing quite well, thank you." Edlyn said, thankful that he had decided to change the subject. "He is still as lively as ever, even though his age is beginning to show."

"Really?" Elrond replied. "I didn't think he was all that old. He's approaching his...what, 671st year?"

"673rd, my Lord." She corrected, beginning to regret having brought up her master's age.

Upon hearing the number, Thorin looked at Edlyn with a frown and she tried to avoid his gaze.

"673 years old, that's a bit young for him to begin showing age." Elrond said. "But then again, he is mostly of the race of Men and that prevents him from living forever, despite the Elvish blood in his veins."

Upon hearing the words 'Elvish blood', Thorin tensed and stared at Edlyn. She looked at him momentarily then looked back at Elrond, trying to avoid eye contact with the perturbed dwarf.

"But of course you knew that already." Elrond said. "That's not a secret that he would keep from any of his students."

Edlyn paused for a moment then looked at Thorin, which was probably a mistake. The dwarf stared back at her hard, waiting for her to answer the elf lord. She looked at Gandalf and he gave her a small nod, giving her permission to speak. Her stomach tightened; she didn't want to tell the truth, but she couldn't lie to Elrond.

"Yes, I did know that, my Lord." She said.

Thorin straightened up and his eyes narrowed as he looked at her. She looked up and met his unsettling gaze. He obviously was upset that she had lied to him, not only about the truth of her master but also about her not knowing.

"Excuse me." Thorin said, standing up and walking off clearly upset. Edlyn lowered her eyes and Gandalf reached over and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, I take it that wasn't shared knowledge." Elrond said. Edlyn shook her head with her eyes still lowered. "My apologies."

"It's alright. You couldn't have known." Gandalf said.

In order to avoid pushing the subject any further, Elrond started asking Gandalf about the unusual company that he was with. Edlyn turned her head and started observing the dwarves. She saw Thorin standing a good distance away, drinking something out of a bottle. As soon as his eyes met hers he turned away sharply.

She inhaled and turned her attention to the other members of the company. A smile flickered across her lips when she noticed that the dwarves were complaining about...well, everything, from the food to the music. Suddenly, without warning, Bofur got up on top of a marble plinth and started singing.

 _There's an inn, there's an inn, there's a merry old inn_  
 _Beneath an old, grey hill_  
 _And there they brew a beer so brown_  
 _That the Man in the Moon himself came down_  
 _One night to drink his fill_  
 _The ostler has a tipsy cat_  
 _Who plays a five-stringed fiddle_  
 _And up and down he saws his bow_  
 _Now squeaking high, and purring low_  
 _Now sawing in the middle_  
 _So the cat on the fiddle played hey-diddle-diddle_  
 _A jig that would wake the dead_  
 _He squeaked and sawed and quickened the tune_  
 _While the landlord shook the Man in the Moon_  
 _"It's after three!" He said._

It was a bright, lively tune and Edlyn couldn't help but clap along with it. All the dwarves started singing with Bofur and the young healer gave Elrond an almost apologetic shrug when they started throwing food around. She was both amused and embarrassed by their behavior, but she smiled along with their fun. The elves did not look amused at all. When the song was done, Bofur gave Edlyn a playful wink before taking a bow while the other dwarves continued to throw food around.

Edlyn smiled. "Why is it that whenever I'm at a dinner party with them, they start throwing stuff around?" She said to Gandalf.

He gave her a shrug and she laughed, her eyes meeting Fili's in the process as he laughed too.

One thing's for sure, dinner with dwarves is never boring.

* * *

 **A/N: So, that's Master Redd's secret; he is part Elf (more on that later). And that's also what his Sindarin name means. The name Edhelnost means "Elf-kin". It's a bit of a rough translation, though. And it looks like it has created some tension between Edlyn and Thorin (again, more on that later).**

 **And it also looks like Fili has a little competition. This should be good.**

 **By the way, the dress Edlyn wore was inspire by Arwen's purple dream dress.**

 **The song "The Man in the Moon" belongs to Tolkien, not me.**


	13. Book I CH 13: A Dwarf's Heart

**~A Dwarf's Heart~  
**

"Not with your companions?" Elrond asked Bilbo as he approached him on the balcony one day during their stay in Rivendell.

"I shan't be missed." Bilbo said. "Truth is most of them don't think I should be on this journey."

"Even Edlyn?" Elrond inquired.

Bilbo paused. "I don't know, actually. When we first started out, she was just like me. She didn't really fit in with the company either. But now, I'm not so sure that's true anymore." He looked at Elrond. "Honestly, she's more cut for this than I am."

"Indeed? I've heard that hobbits are very resilient." The elf lord replied.

Bilbo laughed before realizing that Elrond was serious. "Really?"

Elrond nodded. "I've also heard that they are fond of the comforts of home."

"I've heard that it is unwise to seek the council of elves, they will answer both yes and no." Bilbo joked. Elrond stared at him with a serious look, and then smiled.

"You are very welcome to stay here, if that is your wish." Elrond said as he placed his hand on Bilbo's shoulder before leaving the hobbit alone to ponder what he had just said.

* * *

Later that evening, Edlyn was in her room with Silmalia. She was wearing a different dress than the one she had worn to dinner the first night. It was a simpler dress that was a lovely shade of purple with a green sash that went around and hung down her hips and sleeves that went down to her wrists and hooked over her thumbs. Edlyn decided to not put her hair up and just let it hang loosely down her shoulders.

Silmalia asked her what she wanted to do that evening and Edlyn told her that she wanted to just walk around and see the sights, so that's exactly what the two of them did. They left the chambers and started walking around, admiring the beauty of Rivendell. Silmalia was Edlyn's guide; she showed her everything and told her about the meanings and history behind everything they saw.

The two of them continued walking until another elf maiden approached Silmalia and said something to her in Elvish. Edlyn didn't know what they were saying until Silmalia turned to her and apologized, saying that she had to go and help clean up the fountain, where apparently the dwarves had decided to bathe, completely naked. The young healer rolled her eyes, kind of wishing that she didn't now have that image in her head. She apologized for the dwarves' behavior and Silmalia simply smiled in understanding as she and the other elf maiden left.

"If you get lost, just find the marble path and follow it towards the East side. You'll find your way back to your room easily." She told her as she left.

Edlyn thanked her and the two of them parted ways, leaving the young healer to continue on her own. She was pretty confident that she could find her way around since it usually didn't take her that long to memorize things.

She kept walking a bit, stopping every so often to look out at the beautiful view of Rivendell. She started walking down a flight of stone stairs with her eyes cast downward to watch where she was stepping and to avoid tripping on her dress. When she got to the bottom, she looked up and immediately had to catch her breath. She had walked right into the most beautiful garden she had ever seen in her life!

She stood there, gaping in wonder at the breathtaking brilliance of it. Everything was green and there were trees that contained beautiful blossoms of all different colors. There was a stream that ran from a small waterfall and flowed through the landscape, and towards the back there was a beautiful marble gazebo that was mounted on a platform and overlooked the garden.

It was like she had walked right into Heaven and a soft, serene smile crossed her lips as she admired the beauty around her. She walked over to the stream and started humming the same lullaby that she had sung to Silver on the first night; the night that she had officially met Fili. Her heart started to beat fast as she thought about the young dwarf and she wondered what he was doing right now.

Without even thinking about it, Edlyn started swaying a bit to her own internal music. She stopped when she got the creepy feeling that she was being watched. She looked around and saw no one, but she still couldn't shake the feeling, so she just stood there looking out at the garden in admiration.

But, like before, she was indeed being watched.

* * *

Fili was standing on the stone balcony that overlooked the garden where Edlyn was, watching her as he had done before. He had been wandering when he saw her and followed her to the garden, choosing to instead stand on the balcony where she wouldn't be able to see him.

He smiled when he saw her swaying a bit, like she was about to start dancing. She must have sensed his presence somehow because she stopped and started looking around.

Thankfully, she didn't see him since he was far enough away so that he couldn't be seen yet close enough that he could see her clearly, just like he had intended. It was probably the most improper thing for him to be watching her secretly like he was but he couldn't help it; Edlyn was wonderful to look at

She was wearing a much simpler dress than the one that she had worn to dinner the first night and her hair was hanging loosely down her shoulders, but it didn't matter because she looked beautiful nonetheless. Fili had come to the conclusion a long time ago that Edlyn was beautiful regardless of how she looked.

He remembered that first moment when he saw her at Bag-End, when her eyes locked with his. She seemed to be staring right into his soul, striking him breathless. There was so much light in those pale blue eyes of hers, but there was a hint of sadness there too, like she had some sort of pain hidden deep inside.

He wasn't going to deny that he was captivated by her at that moment, and every moment since. She may not have been a dwarf lass, but that didn't really matter to him as he watched her in the garden. She was kneeling by the stream with her hand in the water, letting it flow through her fingers, and a soft smile spread across her face. Her natural beauty was shining through and Fili could feel an overwhelming warmth growing inside him.

It could be said that a dwarf's heart is the most priceless treasure that they own. Yet no matter how hard they may try to keep it locked away it can still be stolen. And now, as he watched her from afar, Fili had come to realize that his heart no longer belonged to him anymore. It was hers, fully and completely. He had fallen in love with Edlyn, and it took him until now to entirely understand that. He just wished that he could tell her, but he didn't feel like it was time yet. He had to wait, just a little longer, until they were both ready. All he could do was stand there and admire her, which he didn't really mind.

But he soon found out that he wasn't the only one who was admiring the young healer.

* * *

"It's beautiful here, isn't it?"

Edlyn stood up and turned around to see who it was who had spoken and she saw Meraell standing about ten feet away.

"Oh, yes, it is." She said, relaxing a bit.

"I'm sorry, did I startle you?" He asked, casting her an apologetic look.

She smiled. "Only a little, but it's alright. Believe it or not, it's not the first time it has happened."

Meraell smiled and stepped forward. He wasn't wearing his armor anymore; he was wearing traditional elvish clothes of a beautiful forest green, which looked quite nice on him.

"Good." He said. "Because the last thing I'd ever want to do is give you a reason to not like me. Is it alright if I join you?"

Edlyn stared at him for a moment, hesitating with her answer. It wasn't that she didn't like Meraell; quite the opposite actually. She had spoken to him several times during their stay in Rivendell and she found him to be a wonderful person, inside and out; far more carefree than most of the other elves tended to be. He had always been very sweet and friendly to her every time they had spoken to each other.

However, Edlyn never forgot that first night during the dinner with Elrond and how Meraell had looked at her and what he said. She knew that she had caught his eye, and that he would most likely try to charm her while the two of them spoke. She decided to be polite and let him keep her company anyway, but she would be sure to keep her distance from him.

"Yes, you may join me." She finally said.

"Excellent." Meraell said with a smile as the two of them started walking through the garden side by side. "What do you think of Rivendell?"

"It's beautiful."

"Have you ever been here before?"

"Only once a few years ago. I came here with my master, but I didn't get a chance to look around. And I never got the chance to meet Lord Elrond."

"Well, I'm glad you did come." Meraell smiled at her and she blushed as the two of them walked up the steps into the gazebo.

Edlyn stood there leaning on one of the columns and looking out on the garden. She could feel Meraell looking at her and she turned to gaze at him. He had a serious look on his face.

"What?" She asked.

"I don't think it's wise for you to be accompanying Thorin on his quest to reclaim Erebor." He said suddenly.

Edlyn frowned. "How did you know about that?"

"Elrond told me after he helped Gandalf read the map." Meraell answered "And I think that it is foolish for you to be with the dwarves. This quest is dangerous, you could get yourself killed."

"Do you think I don't know that?" Edlyn replied. "I was well aware of the dangers long before I agreed to join. These dwarves lost their home, Meraell, and all they want is to get it back. Wouldn't you do the same if your home had been taken?"

"If I knew there was no hope, I wouldn't."

"And what if you're wrong? What if there is hope? These dwarves are not going to give up until they've reclaimed their homeland. And as long as there is even the slightest chance of success, I will stick with them until the end."

"It will be suicide, Edlyn."

"Ah, but here's the thing." She said with a half-playful smile. "Everyday, I almost commit suicide by simply walking out my door. Do you know why?" He shook his head with a frown. "Because I don't know what dangers await me on the outside. I could easily walk right to my death at any moment. But if I let that knowledge stop me, I would never know what I am capable of or what I can achieve."

Meraell stared at her bewildered. It was possible that nothing she said made any sense, but it was obvious to him that it made sense to her.

"There's no convincing you, is there?" He asked. She shook her head. "I thought as much."

"I guess the stubbornness of the dwarves has rubbed off on me." She said with a smile.

"Just promise me one thing." Meraell said softly. "Please be careful. I don't want anything to happen to you."

She paused and looked at him, a slight blush creeping in. Suddenly, she became aware that he had taken a step closer to her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him move his hand forward towards her hand to grab it. In a split second of panic, she took a step back and her heel caught the hem of her dress. She tripped and almost fell backwards. Thankfully, Meraell had quick reflexes and caught her by her waist, pulling her against his chest in an attempt to steady her.

"Are you alright?" He asked, looking at her with concern.

Edlyn was laughing. "Yes, I'm quite well." She said as she laughed at her own clumsiness. "That was graceful, wasn't it?"

Meraell laughed. "Yes, it was quite graceful, actually." He said as he pushed her hair back behind her ear.

Suddenly, Meraell placed his hand under her chin and tip her head up so that she was looking right in his eyes. Edlyn looked at him with a slight frown. His face was only inches from hers and he was moving forward, very slowly closing the gap between her lips and his.

* * *

Fili stood there on the balcony, watching them the entire time. He saw Meraell approach Edlyn and start talking to her but he was too far away to hear what they were saying. He remembered Meraell from the other night and he knew that he had an interest in the young healer.

The two of them started walking as they talked and Fili saw Edlyn blush a couple times. He saw how Meraell was looking at her and his fists clenched as the cold sting of jealousy ran through him. If he was anything like his brother Kili he would have ran down there and hit Meraell across the face. But he was nothing like Kili, so all he could do was just stand there and watch. Edlyn and Meraell were in the gazebo now talking, but Fili still couldn't hear what they were saying. Whatever it was, she was smiling about it.

Fili didn't see her trip. He didn't see Edlyn step on her dress and almost fall backwards. All he saw was Meraell wrap his arms around her waist and pull her against his chest, with her willingly falling into his embrace. And she was laughing; she was in his arms and she was laughing. They both were.

Fili's throat tightened at the sight of it all. Then, he saw Meraell tip Edlyn's head up and lean forward like he was about to kiss her.

That was it! He couldn't look anymore! He turned his head and started walking away, never looking back.

There are many things that people don't know about dwarves, one of which being that although they may be sturdy creatures on the outside, on the inside their hearts are just as fragile as anyone else's. A dwarf's heart can be just as easily broken as anyone's can, and Fili's own heart was heavy as he wandered through the halls of Rivendell. He didn't want to believe it, but he couldn't deny that it seemed like Edlyn's heart had been won by the Elf captain. All Fili could think was how foolish he was to even hope that she could have loved him.

She was never his, and she would never be his.

Never.

* * *

 **Oh, poor Fili. Don't worry, things will get better for him, you'll see. And before you start getting all mad at Meraell I should tell you he's not a jerk and he will get better as the story goes on.**

 **Also, please pardon the crappy, sappy dialogue I put in here and my overwhelming need to insert a cliché love triangle in as well.** **However, this was just the early stages of my writing of this story and the whole Fili/Edlyn/Meraell thing is going to become far more complex in later books.**

 **Oh, and please pardon Fili being a stalker. Thank you!**


	14. Book I CH 14: Join the Party, Lass

**A/N: This chapter, save for the first section, is really just a filler scene.**

* * *

 **~Join the Party, Lass~  
**

It all happened so fast!

Without warning, Edllyn found herself standing there with Meraell holding her face, leaning closer to her and about to kiss her. She could almost feel his lips on hers, even though he hadn't even touched them yet.

Of course, she would have pulled herself away. She should have pulled away, but for some reason she didn't, not immediately. Meraell's sudden, unexpected action took her off guard for a split second and she froze. She had even considered letting him do it, but she knew, deep down, it wouldn't feel right.

Thankfully, she regained control of her body before he was able complete the course. She quickly pulled her chin out of Meraell's hand and turned away from him, looking down at the ground. Immediately, Meraell stopped and pulled his hand back.

"I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." He said. "I don't know what came over me." He turned and gazed off in the opposite direction.

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two of them. Edlyn didn't know what to say. She knew that Meraell was interested in her, but she certainly was not expecting him to attempt something as bold as trying to kiss her. She looked over at him and a pang of guilt swept over her.

She wasn't angry at him at all, which surprised her. In fact, she could see the disappointment on his face and she felt bad for him. She almost wished that she did feel that way for him, but she didn't and there was no changing that. She tried to find words to say, some gentle way to tell him, but she couldn't.

"If I offended you in any way, please forgive me." Meraell said, suddenly turning to her.

She looked at him and their eyes met. She saw his apologetic look and for some reason, it made her feel relaxed. When she finally found her voice, she let out sigh.

"You didn't offend me, Meraell." She answered. "I'm just surprised. I wasn't expecting you to do that. And, I am flattered, but..."

"..You don't feel the same way." He said, finishing her sentence. All she could do was shake her head in response. "I didn't think so."

"I'm sorry. I truly am."

He smiled. "Don't be. The worst thing you could do is lie about how you feel."

Edlyn looked at him and saw the warm sincerity in his eyes. Her heart was immediately torn between feelings of guilt and relief. She was happy that he understood but she still felt bad.

"There's someone else, isn't there?" He said suddenly.

Edlyn started a bit at his words. She immediately thought about Fili and her face flushed, which she knew was a giveaway.

"I knew it." He said with a smile. "Who is he?"

She sighed. "I can't really say, because I'm not sure whether he sees me the same way."

"Well, he'd be a fool if he didn't. Whoever he is, I hope he realizes how lucky he is to possess your heart."

Edlyn paused a bit at what he said. Was it true? Did Fili really possess her heart? She knew she felt something for the young dwarf, but she wasn't sure if it was ...Love. Was it Love? Was she in love with Fili? All these questions flooded her mind and she wasn't sure what the answers were yet. She needed some time to think about it.

"Well, I probably should be leaving." Meraell said, snapping Edlyn out of her thoughts.

She smiled at him and he smiled back, softly grabbing her hand. Only, it wasn't in a romantic fashion, it was in a friendly fashion.

"One last thing; if you do continue on this quest, promise me that you will be safe and not get yourself killed. My only wish is to see you again." He said.

"We will meet again, Meraell." Edlyn replied. "But if we do, we will be meeting as friends and only friends."

He smiled. "And that's more than I could ever ask for." He placed his hand on her cheek, leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "I wish you the very best...with everything." He gave her a wink then turned to leave.

"Meraell." She called after him. He stopped and turned to look at her. "I truly am sorry."

He smiled again. "Don't even think about it." With that, he departed, leaving her alone in the gazebo, still a bit shocked at what just happened.

* * *

It was past dark by the time Edlyn left the garden. Her mind was still reeling from what happened with Meraell. She decided that she didn't want to trouble herself with it right now and kept walking through the halls of Rivendell, hoping to find something to help take her mind off of it. She walked a bit until she heard the familiar sound of dwarves chattering. She walked to the edge of the balcony and, looking across the way, she saw the dwarves in their chamber, talking and laughing as they sat around a small fire. Wait a minute! A fire? Where did they get the wood to build it with?

She quickly decided that it didn't matter when the sweet aroma of meat cooking suddenly hit her from across the way. It smelled wonderful and by now, she had gotten quite tired of elven food. In fact, she had gotten tired of elves in general. It's not that she hated them, goodness knows, it wasn't that. It's just after spending almost a fortnight with them, they started to bore her a bit and she began to long for something different, something more robust.

She stood there watching the dwarves and suddenly, she got that strong desire to join them. She had hardly spent any time with them since they had arrived in Rivendell and now she was starting to crave their company, which she had to admit was a huge change from what her attitude towards them was like at the beginning of the journey.

Having decided to just go and join them, Edlyn made her way around until she came to the door of the dwarves' chamber. She actually started to get a bit excited about seeing Fili once before she would retire for bed. She very slowly walked into the dwarves' chamber, looking around to make sure none of the dwarves were naked, which thankfully none of them were. The dwarves were all sitting around a small campfire, which she found out was made out of elven furniture that had been broken and burned. Oh dear.

Only a couple dwarves noticed her standing there at first. One of which was Ori, who was sitting against a column writing in his journal. He gave her a cute little wave and she smiled and waved back. Sweet little Ori, he always made her smile. She noticed that Bombur was sitting on a bench or table that looked like it was about to break under his weight.

"Bombur!" Bofur said suddenly, tossing a sausage at him which he caught effortlessly.

However, the added weight of the sausage was too much for the bench and it broke, sending poor Bombur crashing to the floor. Edlyn clapped her hand over her mouth, partly out of surprise and concern for Bombur but mostly to stifle her own guilty laughter. All the dwarves roared with laughter as Bombur struggled to get up. Of course, Edlyn's motherly side came out and she felt the need to help him. She trotted over and grabbed Bombur's hand, putting her other hand around his shoulders and tried to help him up. Easier said than done.

"Don't hurt yourself, lass." Dwalin said with a smirk.

Edlyn turned and looked at him. "Well, why don't you be useful and actually help me." She said, putting her hands on her hips, like a wife scolding her husband.

Some of the dwarves chuckled as Dwalin raised his hands defensively and got up to help her. They both succeeded in getting Bombur up, after which Edlyn gently patted him on the shoulder.

"Nice catch, Bombur." She said. "But you need to work on your landing." He sort of just stared at her for a moment and then walked off. Edlyn turned and looked at everyone else. "Really, you're all horrible." She was smiling as she said it.

Bofur laughed. "Don't worry, lass. He's used to it."

"Well, with you, I'm sure he is." She said. "Although, I have to admit, it was pretty funny. No offence, Bombur." She turned to Bombur as she said the last part. Bombur simply shook his head. She smiled and turned back to everyone else.

"That's a lovely dress you're wearing." Dori said. "It's different from the one that you wore the first night."

"Well, that one was a formal dress." Edlyn said. "This is more for relaxation. It's much more comfortable too, I might add."

"We don't often see you in dresses." Ori said.

"Well, you wouldn't, would you?" She replied. "In my opinion, dresses are not very practical for travel. They get in the way and I always trip on them. It's much more sensible to wear trousers when traveling. Now, I'm not opposed to dresses. In fact, I like wearing them every once in a while. It reminds me that I am, in fact, a woman."

"Well, you look beautiful, lass." Bofur said.

"Why, thank you, Bofur." She said with a slight curtsy. "But not as beautiful as that elf man though, right Kili?"

She turned to Kili with a mischievous smile. Kili, who was smoking on his pipe, practically choked. All the dwarves laughed at Edlyn bringing up the incident that happened with the male elf at dinner before. Kili, however, was not amused.

"Why did you have to bring THAT up?!" He asked.

"Why wouldn't I?" She asked. Kili stared at her. "Oh, don't play innocent, Kili. I saw you eyeing him at dinner the other night." She saw Kili's ears start to turn pink, which filled her with childish delight. "No need to be embarrassed. In fact, there's this elf maid I know and she might know him. Maybe she can help me introduce you to him." By this time, all the other dwarves were roaring with laughter as Edlyn grinned playfully at Kili whose face was bright red.

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?" He asked.

"Never." She said, still grinning. Kili rolled his eyes as everyone else laughed.

"Why did you come all the way up here anyway, lassie?" Balin asked after the laughter died down.

"Well," She said. "I heard that you gentleman were throwing a little celebration up here and I felt a bit hurt that you decided not to invite me so I thought I'd just invite myself. That is, if you lot don't mind it, of course."

"Of course not!" Bofur said cheerfully. "Come on, sit down. Join the party, lass."

Edlyn smiled and gracefully sat herself down all lady-like, which she knew was not necessary considering the company she was with at the moment.

"Also," She said. "I was kind of hoping that you had something to eat. Preferably, something that is not green and is the opposite of vegetarian." Bofur immediately knew what she meant and started roasting a couple sausages over the fire for her. She nodded her thanks to him and he returned it.

"Can I ask you something, lassie?" Dwalin suddenly said. Edlyn nodded as she bit into a sausage and let the warm, juicy taste envelope her taste buds. "What exactly happened out there?"

"Out where?" She asked, swallowing her food.

"Out on the plain, with the Warg."

She thought for a moment. "Oh, you mean the stunt I pulled?"

Dwalin nodded. "What were you thinking?"

"I don't believe I was thinking." She replied. "I don't even remember it, really. One moment, the Warg is charging at me, the next thing I know, I'm on its back, wrestling with its rider. I don't know how I did it or why. I just did. You know how that happens, when your mind goes blank as impulse takes over because of fear, anger or stress and you lose control of your body?"

"Oh yeah. It happens to me all the time." Dwalin said.

She looked at him. "Somehow, that doesn't surprise me."

All the dwarves laughed at that comment and Balin rolled his eyes. Edlyn sat and chatted with the dwarves, laughing as Bofur shared stories of him and Bombur when they were wee lads. After awhile, she became aware that, other than Thorin, there was one other dwarf who was absent. And it was the one dwarf that she had wanted to see more than anyone.

"Hey, Kili." Edlyn asked the young dwarf as she sat down on the bench next to him. "Where's Fili? I haven't seen him all night."

Kili shrugged. "I don't know. He left a couple hours ago. Said he wanted to go look around, but he hasn't come back yet. I don't know where he is."

"He probably got himself lost." She said. "It's pretty easy to get lost around this place." Kili nodded in agreement. "I'm sure he'll find his way back, eventually." She turned and looked at Bofur who had his back to her and was chatting with the others.

As Edlyn watched him, a wicked idea came to her mind and she stood up and snuck over to him. The others noticed her and she placed her finger over her lips, shushing them to prevent them from making her presence known to Bofur. Then, in one quick movement, she snatched Bofur's hat right off his head. The other dwarves roared with laughter as Bofur scrambled off the ground and turned to face her.

"Come on, lass. Give me hat back." He said with a smile. Edlyn placed the hat on her head and held it there, shaking her head with a playful grin. "Please give it back." Bofur said with a sigh. It wasn't the first time she had stolen his hat and it most likely wouldn't be the last.

Edlyn shook her head again, still grinning. "No, I won't. You know how much I love this hat. I'm keeping it this time."

"Please lass. Give it back." Bofur said, giving her the puppy dog eyes. He was one of the few dwarves who could pull it off without looking outright frightening.

She stared at him for a moment then sighed and took the hat off. Bofur moved forward to take it from her when suddenly, she chucked the hat over his head, yelling Nori's name in the process. Nori immediately caught it and threw it to Dwalin, who, in turn, threw it to Gloin. Before anyone knew it, everyone was tossing the hat back and forth between themselves while Bofur was in the middle, jumping around trying to get his hat back.

"Come on now! Give it back!" He shouted in the midst of it. Of course, everyone ignored him. After awhile, the hat ended up in Edlyn's hands again and Bofur started running towards her to retrieve it. She let out an involuntary squeal and threw it over his head again. It was caught by Bombur this time, who didn't throw it to anyone; he just stood there holding it.

"Bombur, give it back, please." Bofur said breathlessly. Bombur didn't obey; he just held the hat close to his chest, like it was the last cut of meat.

"Seriously Bombur, give it back to him. We're done." Edlyn said with a smile. Rather than doing as he was told, Bombur tossed the hat outside over the railing.

"BOMBUR!" Edlyn and Bofur both shouted in unison. Everyone ran to the edge of the balcony and saw that the hat had gotten caught on a tree branch that was just out of reach, even for Edlyn and she was the tallest person there. Everyone turned and looked at Bombur, completely bewildered.

"Consider that my revenge for earlier, brother." Bombur said. "I'd like to see you try to get that down."

And with that, Bombur turned and strutted away, leaving everyone speechless. Apparently, they had all underestimated just how devious Bombur could be.

"I'm beginning to get the impression that it wasn't wise for you to have been teasing him before." Edlyn said to Bofur. Bofur said nothing, he just stood there with his mouth agape, staring at his hat as it dangled there on the branch.

A few minutes later, Bofur, Dwalin and Kili were on the balcony just below the dwarves' chamber, on account that it was closer to the branch that Bofur's hat was on. The three of them were trying to get up on each other's shoulders to reach the hat, but with little success since they kept toppling to the ground. Despite being the tallest person there, Edlyn was unable to help them because she was wearing a dress. She watched as they tried over and over again to reach the hat, wincing every time they toppled over on top of one another.

They were going to be at that all night, she just knew it.

* * *

 **Don't worry; Bofur will get his hat back, eventually. In the meantime we should probably keep an eye on Bombur since he appears to be far more devious than we thought.**

 **Anyway, like I said, this was just a filler scene used for lighthearted fun, more character interaction and a chance to focus on Edlyn's relationship with the other members of the company, because those are just as important as her relationship with Fili.**

 **One thing I would like to say is that when I was writing this chapter in the original story back in early 2014, this chapter was initially going to be the last time we would ever see Meraell in the story. I really didn't have any plans to bring him back, which seemed unfair since he was played by Tom Hiddleston and turned out to be a major sweetheart! However, thanks to a request I received from a reader while writing one of the later books, I was encouraged to bring the elf captain back. So we will indeed see Meraell again later in the trilogy. And that is when the life-ruining will begin!**


	15. Book I CH 15: Deovan

**~Deovan~  
**

Edlyn remained in the dwarves" chamber until it was quite late, and then she decided to retire for bed. Bofur was still trying to get his hat off the tree branch and was still not succeeding. She wondered if he ever would.

After a while of watching Bofur's fruitless attempts to retrieve his hat and Bombur watching with a look of devilish delight in his eyes, Edlyn decided it was time to leave and informed the dwarves that she was going to bed. They started chiming in, bidding her good night. She turned and headed for the exit.

"A little more to the left." She heard Bofur say right before she heard the sound of him toppling on top of Dwalin again, and Bombur snickering at them when it happened. Edlyn shook her head as she left the dwarves' chambers and headed off to her room.

She was walking down the hallway that led away to her own chambers, smiling as she thought about the fun she had with them that evening. Fili hadn't come back, though and she felt a bit disappointed that she didn't get to see him at all before going to bed. Oh well, she figured she would most likely see him in the morning.

She was so busy getting lost in thought that she didn't pay attention to where she was going. She rounded a corner when suddenly she bumped right into someone else who was heading in the opposite direction. The force of the impact caused Edlyn to stumble backwards a bit, but she caught herself. She then turned to look at whoever it was that had bumped into her, and her gaze was met with a pair of deep blue eyes; the same blue eyes that took her breath away the first time she had ever looked into them.

"Fili!" She said.

Fili was on the ground on account that the collision with Edlyn had knocked him down onto his rear. He stared at her with a somewhat confused and stunned look on his face.

"Fili!" Edlyn said again, kneeling down next to him. "Are you alright? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Fili sort of just looked at her for a moment before answering. "Uh, no, I'm fine."

"Let me take a look, just to be sure." She said as she started looking him over, searching for a bump or a bruise or some type of injury.

"No really, I'm fine." Fili said, pushing her hand away.

"One of the first rules of being a healer; if the person you're tending to says they're fine, ignore them. They don't know anything." Edlyn said as she kept looking him over. But for some reason, he was being defiant. "Oh Fili, stop being a child." She said firmly.

"Yes mother." Fili said.

She smirked slightly at that statement. However she couldn't help but notice a hint of bitterness in his tone, and as she looked him over, she was aware that he appeared to be trying to avoid eye contact with her, which struck her as strange.

"Well, you don't appear to be badly wounded in any way." She said as she got up. "However you might want to watch where you're going next time so this doesn't happen again."

It was spoken in a lighthearted manner but Fili didn't laugh. Edlyn frowned as she held her hand out to help him up, but he hesitated to grab it.

"Well, come on." She urged. He looked at her for a moment before reaching up and accepting her hand.

"What are you doing here?" He asked after she had helped him up off the ground.

"Oh, I was just visiting the others before going to bed." Edlyn replied. "In fact, we were just wondering where you were. What were you doing anyway?"

"Wandering."

That was all Fili said. Edlyn tilted her head curiously at his sullen tone of voice. He sounded like he was upset about something.

"Fili, are you alright? You seem a bit...well, off. Is something wrong?" She asked.

Fili didn't answer, he just shook his head. She was not convinced but she wanted to break the silence.

"Well, I'm glad I caught you." She said. "I spoke to Gandalf and he informed me that we will be leaving Rivendell in the morning. I have already told the others."

Fili nodded. "Will it upset you to leave?" What a curious question.

Edlyn shrugged. "We do what we have to do. Still, I have made a few friends while I was here, and I will miss them."

"I'm sure you will." The bitterness in his voice got a bit more profound and she turned to him with a frown.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked.

"Oh, nothing." Fili replied. "I just didn't know that you were the type who got attached to elves so quickly."

His words were said in a sharp and almost accusatory tone and Edlyn looked at him stunned, completely unprepared for the sudden sting that cut through her chest because of it. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Edlyn crossed her arms in front of her chest in a defensive manner as if she meant to protect herself from something.

"Look, I don't care how much dwarves dislike elves." She said as she tried not to snap at him. "But these elves have been nothing but hospitable to us since the moment we arrived here, despite all the trouble we've caused. So I'm sorry if it offends you that I feel the need to be friendly and show gratitude to them for it, since none of you will!"

Fili didn't answer. He just lowered his eyes in an ashamed manner that contained traces of hurt as well. Edlyn's chest tightened with guilt at having spoken so harshly to him. However, she also felt like her words were justified because of how harshly he had spoken to her.

Uncrossing her arms, Edlyn instead put her hands on her hips. "Now, do you mind telling me why you're taking that tone with me?"

Fili still didn't answer. His eyes remained on the ground.

"Fili, there is too something wrong." She continued, stubbornly urging him. "What is it? Is it really about the elves or are you just cross with me for not spending enough time with you and the others since we've been here?" Fili shook his head. "Well, then what is it?" Fili didn't answer her for a moment. He just stared at her.

"It-it's not…." He paused "I saw you in the garden tonight."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Where you following me?"

"No. I was just sort of walking and I spotted you there." He answered. "Anyway, I saw you with that Elf captain."

"Oh." She said with a slight blush. "His name is Meraell."

She really had hoped that she would be able to forget about what happened with Meraell for the rest of the night. Guess not.

"He seems to be quite smitten with you." Fili said.

Edlyn blushed again. "Yes, he is. He made that quite clear. I suppose you saw him try to kiss me, right?"

Fili nodded with his eyes on the ground. She frown at his demeanor but kept on talking.

"I couldn't believe that he would be so bold." She said. "So, I did what any sensible woman would do in that situation; I backed away."

"Why?" Fili asked with a frown.

"Why do you think?" Edlyn answered, crossing her arms again. "I backed away because I had no desire to kiss him. It's what any woman would do, as I said. Unless you think that just because a man tries to kiss a woman means she has to accept it, in which case you would be as far from being right as you can get."

Fili looked up at her curiously. "So, you're not interested in him?"

She looked at him for a moment. "Is that what you thought!?" She laughed in amusement. "Well, I won't deny that he is handsome, and sweet, and kind. And being an elf he is very well brought up. Plus, I am grateful to him for saving my life. But, he never really caught my eye, not like that."

Edlyn turned her head to hide the blush that had formed and when she turned back she saw that Fili's demeanor had completely changed. He had what looked like a thoughtful smirk on his face as his eyes scanned her.

"What?" She asked.

He shrugged innocently and she tilted her head again. Then suddenly, an idea hit her. Was Fili jealous before? No, he couldn't be, could he? That would suggest that he has feelings for her. But really, that was the only way to explain it. What a dunce she had been!

Still, Edlyn wasn't entirely sure it was true and she didn't want to voice her suspicion out loud, just in case she was wrong. But the thought that he might have feelings for her made her heart race. She looked at him for a moment and the two of them smiled at each other.

"Well," Edlyn said after awhile. "I should be heading off to bed."

"I'll walk you back to your room." Fili said.

Edlyn gave him a surprised look. "Really? After what just happened you want to walk me back to my room?"

"Yes." He said simply.

She cocked an eyebrow. "So, you're _not_ still angry with me about Meraell?"

"No." Fili said. "It doesn't matter anymore."

Edlyn did not expect her heart to jump when he said that. _It didn't matter anymore._ What did that even mean? Her mind was reeling with the possibilities and she suddenly found herself, for some reason, at a loss for words.

"Oh uh, well, thank you, Fili. You really don't have to do that." She said.

"But I want to." He replied.

She blushed a bit then nodded her head, giving her consent. Fili nodded and the two of them started walking, and a silence fell over them both. Whatever sort of friction that had been between them before had been cast to the side and quite frankly neither of them really wanted to ignite it again. However, Edlyn was still curious as to why Fili was so upset before but she decided to just address it later.

"Uh, Fili." Edlyn said after a while. "Could you not mention anything about Meraell to the others, least of all to Kili."

Fili looked at her with a questioning gaze.

"You see," Edlyn continued. "I was kind of giving him grief earlier about that elf man that he was "fancying" at dinner the first night, and if he finds out about Meraell, he's going to start teasing me about it."

Fili smiled in understanding. "My lips are sealed."

"Thank you." She said, giving him a grateful smile. "Honestly, I don't know how you put up with him. Kili, I mean. His wit is enough to drive even the most patient person mad."

Fili let out a laugh, which, for some reason, was the most beautiful thing Edlyn had ever heard.

"I guess I'm just used to it." Fili said. "When you've lived with him as long as I have, which is pretty much my whole life, that's easy to do. But even I have moments when I want to rip my hair out because of him." Edlyn laughed at that remark. "But seriously, I love Kili with all my heart. He's my best friend and I would give my life for him, if I had to."

She looked at him thoughtfully. "You two are really close, aren't you?"

"Close is an understatement," Fili said. "We're inseparable. The bond we have is very strong. No one can split us up, and sometimes it annoys people."

Edlyn smiled fondly. "That's kind of like what my relationship with my brother was like."

Fili paused and looked at her curiously. As she looked at him, she realized that she had never said one word to him about her brother, or her family in general.

"His name was Deovan, son of Deogol." She continued. "He was about ten years my senior. My parents didn't think they could have another child after him but then I came along. Deovan was overjoyed when he found out that he had a sister and he always did everything he could to protect me. He was my best friend and despite the differences in our ages, he always found time for me. It was like we were joined at the hip; you couldn't separate us even if you tried."

"Where is he now?" Fili asked.

Edlyn stopped walking and looked at him.

"Your brother, where is he now?" He repeated.

Edlyn's throat immediately clenched and she felt tears sting her eyes. She didn't know why she had even brought it up; it was something that she didn't want to remember. She looked at Fili and she knew that her fallen expression was more than enough to tell him what happened, but she said it anyway.

"He's gone." She said quietly. "He died about 8 years ago."

"I'm sorry, Edlyn. I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's alright. You couldn't have known."

Edlyn walked over to the railing and gazed out at Rivendell. Before she could stop herself, she started telling him the whole story.

"I was 15 years old when it happened." She started. "We were with our cousin, Gar. Back then, it was a tradition that every year for one week during the summer, the three of us would get together and go camp out in the wilderness, miles from the nearest settlement. It was our way of bonding."

A small yet sad smile crossed her.

"Anyway," She went on. "While we were out there, Deovan got sick, very sick. We found out that right before we had left a few days earlier, he had accidentally cut his arm on a rusted blade and didn't tell anyone about it. The wound got infected and Deovan collapsed. He had a horrible fever and his illness was so bad that we couldn't move him, not even to get help. Deovan wouldn't let me leave his side so Gar had to ride off to Hornburg to get a healer, leaving me alone to take care of Deovan. But this was before I became a healer; it was before I knew I wanted to be one. I didn't know anything; I didn't know how to treat him. All I could do was hold his hand and watch as he got sicker and sicker."

Her voice was starting to shake.

"By the time Gar and the healer got there, it was too late; Deovan had already succumbed to the infection." She finished.

She turned and looked at Fili, who was standing next to her by the railing, quietly listening with sadness in his eyes.

"I watched my brother die. I saw the life leave his eyes, and I could do nothing. I was useless." She said bitterly.

Edlyn leaned against the column and slid herself down until she was seated on the ground. Tears started to fall and she quickly tried to wipe them away. She felt ashamed of having Fili see her cry; it made her feel vulnerable. What was she doing?! She never told anyone this story before nor did she ever want to! It was not a story she liked to share. Only a few people outside her family did know about it and even they knew it was best not to talk about it. She didn't know why she was sharing this story with Fili at all. She normally wouldn't have but there was something about the young dwarf that made her feel like she could share anything with him.

Fili knelt down in front of her and gently took both her hands in his. "It's not your fault, Edlyn. You shouldn't blame yourself." He said softly.

Edlyn let out a weak laugh. "Do you know how many people have said those exact same words to me? More than I can count."

She bit her lip and lowered her eyes

"But you know what?" She said. "I don't blame myself, actually. I know that there was nothing I could have done. I blame the circumstances. It was fate that my brother would get sick before I would have been able to help him. It was fate that he would die before I would have been able to save him. It was all part of Fate's scheme to guide me towards my own destiny."

Fili looked at her curiously.

"My brother's death was the most tragic thing to ever happen to me," She continued. "But it was also a huge turning point in my life. After he died, I grieved for several months. But during that time, a fire was ignited inside me. I didn't want anything like that to ever happen to me or anyone else ever again. It was then that I realized that more than anything, I wanted to help people; I wanted to heal them."

A small smile flickered across her face.

"I knew then that I wanted to be a healer, more than anything." She said. "I was aimless before that; I didn't know what I wanted to be. So, I found Master Redd and I became one of his students, and I have put every ounce of myself into it. Master Redd had warned me that being a healer wouldn't be easy, and it wouldn't be pretty. He always said that healers see as much blood, pain and death as warriors do, and people always ask me why I would want to see that after watching my brother die like he did. Do you know why?"

Fili shook his head.

"Because I hate feeling useless," She answered. "I hate feeling like there is nothing I can do and no way I can help. I was useless when Deovan was dying and I don't ever want that to happen again." She paused. "You know, Fate has a darkly poetic sense of irony; my brother had to die in order for me to discover how I was going to live. Is that wrong?"

"No." Fili said softly. "And even if it was, it's not your fault. It was out of your hands. I went through the same thing when my father died. He was killed in battle when I was very young and I still miss him, even now. After he died, I knew that more than anything, I wanted to follow in his footsteps; I wanted to be a warrior like him. So that's what I did, and I don't regret it."

He reached forward and brushed the tears off her cheek with his thumb. Edlyn exhaled softly at the suddenness of his touch.

"I guess that's one thing you and I have in common." Fili said. "I'm sure your brother would be proud of you if he could see what you have accomplished."

"And I'm sure your father would be proud of you too." Edlyn replied.

That was really all she could say before silence fell over them both. Edlyn looked down at Fili's hands which were grasping her own, and then she gazed up and looked into his eyes. She saw a look of warm tenderness radiating from them and her heart started pounding.

Fili...was beautiful!

Not just outwardly but inwardly too. She could see very clearly that she did have a friend in him; he cared about her and wanted to help her. She saw that he was not only handsome but genuine and kind too; just wonderful in every possible way. And that unanswered question from before was finally answered.

Did Fili possess her heart? Yes, he most certainly did! She was in love with him, and she knew that she always had been, and always would be. But was he in love with her? She hoped he was, but of course, there was still doubt. He most likely wasn't and she didn't want to reveal her feeling to him until she was absolutely sure. So, she would just have to keep it a secret for now.

She stared at him for while, never wanting to look away from those gorgeous eyes of his. Her tears had stopped and a soft smile was beginning to form. Fili smiled back and she felt an overwhelming warmth growing inside her when he did.

"It's getting late." Fili said after a while. "And I should be getting you back to your room."

He stood up and pulled Edlyn up with him. He didn't say anything else as the two of them headed towards her chambers.

* * *

A few silent minutes later, the two of them made it to the door of her room.

"It seems as though this were we part ways, fair maiden." Fili said.

Edlyn rolled her eyes slightly at that comment. 'Fair maiden' had become Fili's special little nickname for her. Obviously, he didn't mean it, but she didn't care; for the first time, she liked hearing him call her that, even if he was only teasing her.

"Must you always tease me?" She said. "Seriously, you're just as bad as your brother." Fili smiled and she smiled back, then it faded. "Fili, could you not tell the others what I just told you, about my brother. Please keep it between us. I don't want them to know, not yet."

"I won't say anything, Edlyn. I promise"

"Thank you, Fili. Thank you for everything."

Then, without even thinking, she leaned down and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. Fili looked up at her in surprise and she tried to shake it off by smiling and bidding him goodnight before she opened the door and entered her room, leaving behind a very stunned Fili.

* * *

Fili didn't move for a moment. He just stood there, trying to process what had just happened. Edlyn had just kissed him on the cheek and he couldn't believe it. But the question was, did she mean it in a friendly manner or did it mean something...more? He didn't know and he just knew that Kili was going to give him grief about it if he ever found out.

 _"You should have kissed her, brother! You should have kissed her passionately!"_

That's exactly what Kili would say, so he wasn't going to tell him at all.

Fili turned and started walking back to the dwarves' chamber, going over in his mind everything Edlyn had just revealed to him. Now he at last understood the secret behind her haunting gaze. He understood why her eyes contained that hidden sadness. He now knew the truth and it made him want to care for the young healer even more.

It made him want to give her everything.

* * *

 **Nope, no kissing there I'm afraid. Sorry if you guys were expecting it or hoping for it. Turns out Fili is too shy to sneak a kiss. Either that or he's an idiot or both most likely. Don't worry, though. There will be a kiss between Fili and Edlyn; sooner than you may think, actually.**

 **Also I realize that Edlyn is a little bit of a Mary-Sue right now. Not a whole lot but a little. However, she will go through a lot later on and develop more, so be patient please.**

 **Overall, revising this story has made me realize just how raw my writing was almost two years ago when I first wrote it. But, just like my OC, it too will get better and more complex.**

 **Also, the argument between Edlyn and Fili has been expanded slightly from the original story, for dramatic effect.**


	16. Book I CH 16: Farewell

**~Farewell~  
**

Edlyn awoke the next morning before dawn had even broken. Today was the day that the company would leave Rivendell. Gandalf had told her the night before that she and the others were to leave before daybreak without telling anyone of their departure.

* _Flashback*_

 _"Edlyn, you must do something for me." Gandalf said to the young healer._

 _"Yes, Gandalf, what is it?" Edlyn asked_

 _"It is important that you and the others wake before dawn tomorrow and leave Rivendell. But, you must not tell anyone of your departure." The wizard's tone was grave and it kind of frightened her._

 _"Gandalf, what's wrong? Why must we leave so suddenly?" She asked._

 _"Tonight, I will be meeting with the White Council."_

 _"To talk about the Necromancer, right?"_

 _Gandalf frowned. "How did you know about that?"_

 _She smiled innocently. "Well, I might have eavesdropped a little bit when you and Radagast were talking."_

 _"That is a bad habit that you need to break, young lady." Gandalf said with a sigh. "It will get you into trouble one of these days."_

 _She smiled, but then it faded. "What does it mean, Gandalf? The Necromancer, what does it mean?"_

 _"It is nothing you need worry about right now, my dear." Gandalf said, giving her a reassuring look, or his best attempt at one. "However, I will also be discussing the fate of this quest with them as well. And there is no doubt in my mind that they will not approve of it. But, you must continue on this journey no matter what. That is why it is best that you leave before they have a chance to find out."_

 _"You speak as if you're not coming with us."_

 _"I won't be." He answered. "I have to stay behind and discuss matters with the council. But don't worry; I will catch up to you when I am able to leave." She gave him an unsure look. "Edlyn, this is important. You must wake first to gather the others and leave quietly. No questions. Can you do that?"_

 _Edlyn looked at him for a moment then gave him a nod, which the wizard returned._

* * *

Upon waking, Edlyn quickly changed into a blue tunic with a long, brown vest, a belt around her waist and a pair of grey trousers. She slipped on her boots and started packing up the rest of her belongings. Her curly brown hair was done up in its usual braid that hung down her shoulder. After she finished packing, she slipped out the door and quietly made her way to the dwarves' chambers.

When she got there, she found them all fast asleep and snoring. Edlyn shook her head as she less-than-gently woke them up. Some of them had even slept in their clothes. After they were all awake, Edlyn volunteered Kili to go and wake Bilbo, who was in a separate chamber.

She then left, informing them that she would meet them all down by the gate shortly; she had one more thing she had to do before leaving Rivendell.

* * *

Edlyn made her way down to the stables where the elves had been taking care of Silver for the entire time the company had been there. She knew that this was going to be the last time she would see him for a while, and possibly forever, and she wanted to say goodbye to him one last time.

She walked into the stables and immediately saw him standing next to a white charger. As soon as he saw her, his ears perked up and he started bobbing his head up and down in excitement. She laughed as she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled her nose against his mane.

"Hello, friend. How are you this fine day?" She asked. "How have those elves been treating you?"

She went around to the other side and saw the wound that Silver had gotten during the fight with the Warg. It appeared to be healing quite nicely.

"Ah, very nice!" She said. "Those elves sure know what they're doing. You're almost healed enough to travel. Which reminds me, I came to tell you that we are leaving today."

Silver let out a neigh which Edlyn recognized as his way of expressing joy. She knew he couldn't wait to get back on the road again since he had done nothing but sit around the whole time they had been in Rivendell. Edlyn smiled at his playful little act of excitement, but it faded when she remembered the true reason why she had come down to see him.

She wrapped her arms around his snout and pressed her forehead against his. He paused, obviously confused as to why she suddenly became so sad. He was always good at sensing that sort of stuff.

"Unfortunately, friend, you can't come." Edlyn said solemnly. "You have to stay here in Rivendell."

Silver wrapped his lips around her braid and started tugging on it, as if to ask 'why?'

"I'm sorry, but I have to leave you behind." She answered "You're not well enough to come; the journey will be too much for you. You have to stay here until you're completely healed. And even if you weren't injured, you would never be able to make it across the mountain. The path is too narrow. You must stay here."

Edlyn closed her eyes as she felt the sting of tears, which she tried to fight back. Silver noticed it right away and started rubbing his forehead against hers to comfort her. She smile sadly and a silent stillness fell over them both as they stood there, savoring the closeness of one another while it lasted. Edlyn started stroking his neck as she sang a bit of his favorite lullaby to him one last time.

 _May there always be angels to watch over you_  
 _To guide you each step of the way_  
 _To guard you and keep you safe from all harm_  
 _Loo-lee-loo-lee-lie-lay_  
 _Loo-lee-loo-lee-lie-lay_

Her voice was slow and sad. She cried a bit while she sang. Silver was sad too, but he understood. He kept rubbing his forehead against hers. After a moment of silence, she planted a soft kiss on his nose.

"Until we meet again, my friend, farewell."

Kissing him one last time on the nose, she turned and left the stable. As she left, Edlyn heard Silver let out a sad whinny and she tried to wipe the tears away.

* * *

She had her head down as she made it out the door, and when she looked up she stopped in her tracks when she saw Thorin standing there looking at her with the same stern look on his face, almost like he was waiting for her.

"What are you doing here?" Edlyn asked. "I told you I would meet you down by the gate." Her voice was shaky, despite her best attempt to keep it steady.

"I was about to ask you the same thing." Thorin said.

"I was saying goodbye to my horse before we left." She replied.

Thorin nodded slowly. "So, you are aware that he can't come with us. The road is too treacherous for him."

Edlyn could see that he had something else he wanted to say to her but was taking his time saying it.

"What do you want, Thorin?" She asked almost impatiently. "You knew why I came to the stables and I know you didn't follow me just to tell me something you knew I knew already. If you have something you wish to say, just say it."

Thorin looked at her for a moment. "Your master is part elf?"

Edlyn's eyebrows shot up. So that's what he wanted to say, he wanted to talk about how she had lied to him about the truth of her master. Oh, brilliant. She was beginning to wonder when he would finally mention it since he hadn't spoken to her at all since the moment he found out. However, he couldn't have picked a worse time to bring it up. She was still a bit upset from having to say goodbye to Silver.

She sighed. "Master Redd is of Elvish descent. He has a couple Elvish ancestors on both sides of his family."

"And you knew this, the whole time?" He asked. She sighed again and nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I chose not to tell you because Gandalf told me not to." She answered. "Because he knew you would react the exact same way that you're reacting now."

"No, Edlyn." Thorin said. "How I'm reacting now is different from how I would have reacted if you simply chose to not tell me. But, you also chose to lie about your knowledge of the matter."

Edlyn lowered her eyes. She realized that it probably wasn't the best thing for her to have lied and said that she didn't know. It would have been better if she had simply said that she knew but it wasn't her secret to tell. Unfortunately, it was too late for that and the damage had already been done.

"Does your master use any Elvish healing methods?" Thorin asked.

"Not really." She said. "He likes to blend the healing methods of different races and makes some of his own. But most of his own methods are inspired by the Elves."

"Have you ever used any Elvish-inspired healing on anyone in the company?" He asked.

She heard a hint of disdain in his voice, and it did nothing to help her own lousy mood.

"Not yet." She replied. "But if I have to, I will. Because a person's welfare is more important than your pride."

She didn't mean for those words to come out as sharply as they did. But, again, she was still upset about Silver and this was just the aftermath of that. Thorin was silent for a while as he stared at her, his icy blue eyes burning into her grey blue ones. However, she had been around him long enough that it had gotten to a point where his hard stares didn't bother her that much anymore. Besides, she was too upset to really care.

"I can tolerate keeping secrets, to an extent." Thorin said at length. "But I can not tolerate lying."

"I only lied to you once, Thorin." Edlyn said. "I have no intention of lying to you again."

"Unless you have to." He said flatly.

Edlyn paused at those words. She honestly had nothing to say to them, because she knew they were true. Thorin saw her silence as an invitation to keep on talking.

"My trust in you has been compromised, Edlyn." He said sternly. "But, since we've gotten as far as we have with this quest, I can't just leave you behind, because I know you will only follow us anyway. Besides, I promised Gandalf that I would bring you along. So, you will continue on this journey with us. But, don't expect me to trust you, entirely."

With those words, Thorin turned and walked off towards the gate. Edlyn stood where she was for a moment, staring at the ground. Well, this is just great. Now she's pretty much lost Thorin's trust. She knew that it would take a lot for her to get it back, if she ever could. Letting out another sigh, she turned and followed Thorin to the gate.

* * *

The sun was beginning to rise as the company made their way along the path that led away from Rivendell.

"Be on your guard." Thorin said to the company. "We are about to step over the edge of the wild. Balin, you know these paths; lead on."

"Aye." Balin said, taking the lead. As Bilbo followed, he stopped and turned back to gaze at Rivendell one last time with a longing look in his eyes.

"Master Baggins." Thorin said to the hobbit. "I suggest you keep up."

Edlyn was just passing Bilbo when she heard Thorin say those words. She looked up and her eyes met those of Thorin. He looked at her with a stern expression before quickly turning away. She knew that he still didn't trust her after she lied to him before.

The young healer sighed then turned to Bilbo who was still looking back at Rivendell. She walked over to the hobbit and placed her hand on his shoulder. He turned and looked up at her. She smiled and tilted her head in the direction of where the company was going, as if to say 'come on, let's go'. Bilbo nodded slowly then turned to follow her.

* * *

"You will follow them?" Galadriel asked Gandalf as the two of them stood in the pavilion after the rest of the White Council had left.

"Yes." The wizard replied.

"You are right to help Thorin Oakenshield." She said. "But I fear that this quest has set in motion forces we do not yet understand. The riddle of the Morgul blade must be answered. Something moves in the shadows, unseen, hidden from our sight. It will not show itself, not yet. Everyday, it grows in strength." She paused for a moment. "I understand that you have one of Edhelnost's students among your company; a young woman, to be exact. A very kind, caring yet tortured young woman."

"Yes." Gandalf said sadly. "She suffered a tragedy many years ago, and she still bears the grief of it on her shoulders. But it is more grief than one so young should ever have to bear."

"I can see that it is also your belief that she has won the heart of the eldest Heir of Durin, is that correct?"

"Possibly."

"Mithrandir. You know that if Thorin continues on this path, and the madness that has plagued his family line begins to take hold of him, it will bring nothing but pain and death to everyone involved. Especially the young dwarf prince and the healer's student. So you must be careful."

"Yes." Gandalf said. Then he turned and walked away.

"Mithrandir?" Galadriel said. Gandalf stopped. "Why the halfling?"

"I don't know." The wizard replied. "Saruman believes that is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. I have found that it is the small things, everyday deeds of ordinary people that keep the darkness at bay; simple acts of kindness and love. Why Bilbo Baggins? Perhaps it is because I am afraid, and he gives me courage."

Galadriel suddenly appeared in front of the old wizard and took his hands in hers. "Do not be afraid, Mithrandir. You are not alone." Then she spoke in Elvish. _**"If you should ever need me, I will come."**_

Gandalf bowed, then Galadriel let go of his hands. When he looked up, she was gone.

* * *

The company continued their journey towards the Misty Mountains. At one point, they were all travelling up a rocky slope. It was an extremely difficult task and Edlyn kept losing her footing and sliding.

"May I help you, fair maiden?"

She looked up and saw Fili standing over her with his hand extended forward to offer her his assistance.

She smiled. "Yes, you may. Thank you."

She reached up and grabbed his hand. He smiled and pulled her up on her feet. The two of them looked at each other for a moment before continuing on. And Fili remained by Edlyn's side to assist her whenever she needed it (which wasn't very often). But she most certainly didn't mind it at all.

Little did she know that something was about to happen to her and Fili; something that would change her relationship with the young dwarf forever.

And, quite possibly, for the better.

* * *

 **Please don't ask me how Master Redd's longevity and ancestry work because I did not think it through that far and none of it is relevant enough to the story. Also please don't ask how his healing methods work either. Let's just pretend it all makes sense somehow.**

 **Anyway, the tension between Edlyn and Thorin is thankfully going to be very short lived. It will actually be completely non-existent in a few chapters. You'll see why next.**

 **Also, the next couple chapters will be a little different.**

 **Song segment is from Sleepsong by Secret Garden. I do not own it.**


	17. Book I CH 17: Battle Wound?-Part I

**A/N: This chapter, and the next one, is actually an entire four part short story I had written on Deviantart called "Battle Wound". It was the first x-reader story I ever wrote and the rest of the fanfiction was a wrap-around for it. This chapter is parts 1 and 2 and the next chapter is parts 3 and 4. I tried to revise these chapters and make them blend in a little bit more with the story, so some of the writing might still be a bit raw.**

 **Also, because it was originally written as a separate story, these next two chapters might seem a bit episodic in comparison to the rest of the fiction.**

 **Regardless, I hope you guys enjoy it.**

* * *

 **~Battle Wound?-Part I~**

* * *

 **~I trust you~**

* * *

"Help! We need help here!"

It was late afternoon when the sudden cry broke the calm stillness that had settled over every member of the company as they sat around the campsite. Edlyn was sitting up against a rock talking to Balin when the stillness was broken, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and turn in the direction of the cry, and immediately everyone recognized that deep, heavily accented voice as Dwalin.

The last time anyone had seen Dwalin he had gone out hunting with Fili and Kili and they had only been gone for 40 minutes. It was too soon for them to have gotten anything yet.

"Help us! We need help!" This time, it was Kili's voice.

Standing up, Edlyn started walking in the direction of their voices to see what was going on and the sight that met her eyes made her heart almost stop. Dwalin and Kili came running into camp; Dwalin on one side, Kili on the other and in between them, with his arms slunk over their shoulders, was Fili, barely walking and half conscious.

There was an arrow sticking out of his right side.

Immediately, everyone cleared the way for the three of them to get through. Kili let go of Fili's arm, allowing Dwalin to carry him the rest of the way. Dwalin laid him down gently next to the campfire and placed something soft under his head. Within seconds, Edlyn was by his side.

"Fili? Fili, answer me, please." She said.

Fili's eyes fluttered open and a small smirk formed on his lips.

"Hello, fair maiden." He said, still smirking. "If this is a dream, I hope I never wake up, for your beauty transcends anything I've ever seen."

Edlyn rolled her eyes. "At least he kept his sense of humor."

"What in Middle Earth happened?" Balin asked.

Before either Dwalin or Kili could answer, Thorin's loud, gruff voice rang out over the chatter of the other dwarves.

"Let me through! LET ME THROUGH!" He pushed his way through the small crowd and fell to his knees by Fili's side. "Fili!" He said, his voice shaking. He looked at Dwalin. "What happened?!"

"Uh, we were attacked." Dwalin said in an unconvincing tone. However, Edlyn was the only person who noticed.

"What attacked you? Orcs?" Thorin asked, hissing out the last word.

"I don't believe so." Balin said. "This doesn't appear to be an orc arrow. Nor does it appear to be Elvish."

"Well, then what else could it be?" Gloin asked. "Men?"

"Why would men attack dwarves?" Bilbo asked.

"It wasn't men." Dwalin said.

"Well, what was it then?" Balin asked again.

Dwalin didn't answer, he just shifted a bit. Meanwhile, Edlyn had become aware that Kili hadn't said a word. He was standing some ways off looking down at Fili. His eyes were wide, his face was pale and he was leaning against the rock like he couldn't stand. She stared at him for a moment, studying his behavior; something seemed off about him.

Finally, he looked up and his eyes met hers. In his eyes there was fear and horror, but that was to be expected considering what just happened to his brother, but there was something else in his eyes too; guilt. What reason would he have to feel guilty? A thought came to her mind, but she prayed that it was wrong.

"Kili, do you mind telling us what happened?" She asked, never taking her eyes off of him.

As the other dwarves turned and looked at him, the fear in his face became more apparent. He didn't answer right away.

"Well, answer her, lad." Balin said.

Kili hesitated, looking around at everyone as they stared at him expectantly. He looked at Dwalin, who simply lowered his eyes. Finally, Kili sighed, letting out the breath that he had apparently been holding and the fearful look on his face was replaced with a look of sheer remorse. Then, he uttered the words that confirmed her fear.

"It's mine." Kili said quietly. All the dwarves looked at him with shocked looks on their faces.

"What?"

"The arrow, it's mine." He repeated.

The rest of the company just stared at him, waiting for him to continue.

"Dwalin was right." Kili continued. "We were attacked, by a bear. We tried to fight it but it was bigger than us, much bigger. Anyway, I, uh, tried to fire a shot to bring it down and…" He paused, his voice getting shakier. "I don't know what…. Fili was standing behind it and it must've moved right when I fired, and the arrow, i-it hit Fili instead. I d-didn't see him there, I d-di..."

He broke off and put his hand on his face, trying to hide the tears that had formed. Dwalin placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and everyone else gave him sad, sympathetic looks. Thorin, on the other hand, was not so forgiving.

"You-you stupid, little oaf!" He shouted. "Your brother could die now because of your mistake!"

"Uncle…" It was Fili talking. Everyone turned and looked at him as he propped himself on one elbow with a wince and spoke to Thorin. "Don't blame Kili, it was an accident."

"Fili is right, Thorin." Balin said. "What's done is done and there is no use focusing on the things we can't change. Right now, we need to place our attention on helping Fili." Thorin wearily nodded. "Well, Edlyn." Balin said. "How does the lad look?"

Following the words of the older dwarf, Edlyn leaned down and inspected the wound. After a few moments, she smiled

"We're in luck." She said. "The arrow didn't go in very deep and it doesn't appear to have hit anything important. Looks like all we have to do is get the arrow out and stitch the wound up. Kili, could you come over here?" Kili, though surprised about being called, obeyed. "I need someone here to hold Fili's head on their lap."

"What for?" Kili asked.

"For support, and possibly later, restraint." She replied. "With that in mind, Bofur, I need you to hold down his legs." Both the dwarves did as they were told.

Fili lifted his head. "Judging by your words, Edlyn, this is going to hurt, isn't it?"

"Possibly." She replied half-jokingly. They both knew the answer to that question already.

"That's what I thought." He said. "Alright, let's get this over with."

Edlyn turned and looked at Thorin for permission to continue since she knew that he was still having trouble trusting her completely after what happened back in Rivendell. Thorin stared at her silently for a moment with a hard look. Everyone else looked on in confusion at the silent exchange going on between the two of them since none of them knew about what had transpired between them prior to their departure from Imladris.

After a few silent moments, Thorin gave Edlyn a slow and somewhat reluctant nod, giving her permission to continue.

Propping herself up on her knees, Edlyn placed her left hand on Fili's chest for leverage and wrapped her right hand around the arrow. Then after mouthing 'are you ready' to Fili and receiving a nod, she began to slowly pull the arrow out. Fili let out a pained gasp and clung onto Kili hard, causing him to wince. The rest of the company winced too, but that was mainly from the sight before them. Bofur, on the other hand, was straining himself trying to keep Fili's legs down.

Meanwhile, Edlyn was having a more difficult time pulling the arrow out than she had anticipated. Although it wasn't in there very deep, it was in there tight, and she had to be extra careful when pulling it to avoid causing more damage. She continued to pull it out very gently and very delicately, when suddenly:

SNAP!

At that moment, Fate decided to betray them. As soon as she heard that gut-wrenching snap and felt the arrow break, Edlyn's heart sank and she looked down at her hand, only to see that her worst fear had come true; the arrow was now completely devoid of a tip.

"Damn." She muttered. "The tip broke off." Everyone let out sighs of distress.

"What does that mean? Edlyn, what does that mean?!" Kili asked with panic in his voice.

"It means, Kili," Edlyn said, her voice shaking a little. "That the situation just got very complicated. The arrowhead is still in there, which means I can't remove it, not the traditional way, anyway. Not only would that be very difficult but it would also be extremely dangerous. There's only one way to do this, the arrowhead has to be cut out."

A look of horror showed up on Kili's face and everyone else went tense, even Fili.

"It's the only way." She continued. "If the arrowhead stays in there too long, the wound could get infected. I don't even need to tell you how bad that would be."

"Have you ever done anything like this before?" Balin asked.

Edlyn looked at him. "Me?" She asked, slightly startled. Balin nodded. "Only once." She answered.

Before anyone could say anything else, Thorin cut in. "Well, let Oin do it then."

His words were harsh and clearly directed at Edlyn. Everyone looked at Thorin in surprise at the sharpness of his words and Edlyn could feel their sting. However, she also felt a bit relieved that he was suggesting Oin take care of it; the last thing she wanted was to have this responsibility be placed on her shoulders. Unfortunately, that relief was flipped when Oin spoke up.

"I can't, Thorin." The old healer said. Edlyn felt her heart drop.

Thorin looked at him in disbelief. "Why?"

"I haven't performed a surgery like this in years." Oin replied. "Besides, this is delicate work and requires a pair of younger hands to fulfill the task, and mine aren't as young as they used to be."

Edlyn's heart rate increased the more he spoke. Why? Why did it have to be her? If only Gandalf were here!

"Honestly Thorin," Bilbo said. "There isn't much time left and I don't see what's wrong with having Edlyn do it."

Edlyn looked at Thorin, knowing the exact reason why he was hesitant to let her touch his nephew. Just then, she felt Oin put his hand on her shoulder.

"If it makes everyone feel better, I'll be right here beside her." Oin said, his eyes never leaving Thorin.

There was silence as everyone waited for Thorin to answer.

"Do it." Thorin said.

* * *

A few minutes later, Edlyn was getting everything ready. Fili's shirt had now been removed to allow her clear access and she was getting her knife prepared when Bofur spoke up.

"Are you alright, lass?"

She looked up at him in surprise. "Of course, why do you ask?"

"Well, your hands are shaking."

Edlyn looked down and found that he was right. Her hands were shaking, they were shaking terribly. She had been so focused on getting everything set that she hadn't even noticed. But now that she did, the panic that she had apparently numbed came flooding back.

She tried to push it all away, but it was no use. She knew she couldn't afford to panic, not now. She was the one who was about to surgically remove an arrowhead from a wounded dwarf. She was the one who needed to have steady hands. She tried to stop them from shaking, even going so far as holding her fingers down with her other hand. It didn't do much though and everyone else noticed.

"Are you sure you can do this?" Dori asked.

"I don't really have much of a choice, now do I?" She replied.

"I don't feel comfortable with this." Thorin said.

Balin put his hand on his shoulder. "Everything will be all right. Just have faith."

Thorin nodded and Edlyn turned towards Fili who was now once again half-conscious; he had been drifting in and out of consciousness for a while now. She leaned over to begin but stopped; her hands were still shaking. She couldn't perform the task, not like this. Shaky hands could lead to her making a mistake and the results of that could be disastrous. Letting out a sigh, she put the knife down and bowed her head, just staring at the ground, trying to calm herself down.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Thorin asked impatiently.

"Just-just give me a moment!" Edlyn replied, not even looking up.

No one said anything after that. They knew that she needed to be calm in order to do what she needed to do and they didn't want to agitate her. But the tense atmosphere that had formed among the company had now become suffocating.

But it was nothing compared to the chaos that was going on inside the young healer. Her heart was pounding a hundred miles a second and her head was spinning. She was sweating visibly and her breathing had gotten faster. She kept going over in her head all the possible ways that she could make a mistake.

She felt Oin place his hand on her shoulder and give it a gentle squeeze. "It's alright, lassie." He whispered. "You'll do fine. And remember, I'm right here."

Edlyn nodded in response but still didn't move a muscle.

She couldn't lie to herself; she was scared. She was not properly trained for something like this. The last time she had done anything like this, Master Redd was there to tell her what to do. And even though she was happy that Oin was there and she wouldn't have to do this on her own, that still didn't calm her fear. Especially since she knew that Fili's life was pretty much in her hands and any mistake she made could injure him further, or worse, kill him. And that terrified her. Right now, she wished that the responsibility rested on anyone else's shoulders but hers.

Suddenly, in the midst of the chaos, Edlyn felt a strong hand wrap around her shaking one and hold it tight. Snapping back to reality, she looked up and was surprised to find that it was Fili who had grabbed her hand. He was wide awake now, sitting up with Kili supporting him from behind, and his deep blue eyes were looking right into her pale blue ones.

"Listen to me." He said calmly. "You can do this. You just need to relax."

Edlyn didn't say anything for a moment. She just stared into his eyes, which seemed to glow with a calm, reassuring light. She wondered how he could be so calm when it's his life that's on the line.

"I-I can't do it, Fili." Edlyn said when she finally found her voice. "I just….I can't."

"Yes, you can." He said, giving her a small but warm smile. "I know you can"

She lowered her eyes. "I'll make a mistake, I know I will. And…you know what could happen if I do."

Just then, Fili lifted his other hand and gently placed it on Edlyn's cheek, an action that took the young healer by surprise. Her eyes darted up from the ground to once again lock with his.

"You are not going to make a mistake, Edlyn." He said. "You will make it through this. Both of us will."

"What makes you so sure?" She asked.

"I trust you." He said.

Edlyn paused, once again unable to speak. She just sat there, never breaking eye contact with him. He was smiling at her, not with his mouth but with his eyes. Her heart started to pound harder, only this time it was for a completely different reason. She felt that warmth spread through her chest; the same warmth she felt the moment she discovered she was in love with the young Durin prince.

Her gaze remained locked with his for a few moments. Then she looked down at his hand which was still wrapped around hers, and for the first time since this whole ordeal started, she felt her entire body relax. Lifting her eyes from their intertwined hands, she looked into Fili's eyes again and a small smile formed on her lips. She gave him a small but confident nod and he responded by doing the same. The two of them broke away from each other and while Edlyn composed herself, Fili gently laid his head back on Kili's lap. Edlyn removed the leather belt she was wearing and folded it once. Then she turned to Fili, who first looked at the belt then back at her, completely understanding what she was about to do.

"Forgive me." She said to him.

"I already have." He replied. Then she placed the belt firmly between his teeth.

She turned to Kili. "You better hold him tight." She commanded the young dwarf. Then she looked at Bofur. "You should do the same."

Edlyn grabbed her knife and dip the blade into a pot of boiling water to disinfect it. Then placing herself in a half kneeling, half squatting position next to Fili, she said a silent prayer to herself, exhaled loudly then began.

As soon as the blade broke the skin, Fili let out a cry that was muffled by the leather belt he held tight in his teeth. Every few moments he would let out a cry, and each time he held onto Kili harder. Kili winced each time, not just from the tightness of Fili's grip but also from the sight of seeing his brother in pain.

"I'm sorry, Fili. I'm so sorry." He kept repeating over and over again.

Everyone else watched with pained expressions. Some people turned their eyes away while others covered their ears to block out the cries. Thorin didn't even look. He turned his back and stared off into the distance, cringing every time Fili let out a cry.

Edlyn, meanwhile, remained completely focused on the task of removing the arrowhead while Oin watched her progress over her shoulder. She still wasn't entirely calm since her heart was still racing, but her hands were miraculously steady. Fili's calm words had acted like some sort of magic spell that made her hands suddenly stop shaking. She felt confident that she could complete the task.

It only took a few minutes, but to everyone it felt like ages. Eventually, Edlyn got the arrowhead out, breathing a sigh of relief once she did. Thankfully, the wound appeared to be clean. Oin helped by applying pressure to the wound while Edlyn prepared to stitch it up. After threading the needle and tying it, Oin moved out of the way and watched as Edlyn started to stitch the wound up.

By this time, Fili's cries had died down and he only let out occasional grunts and gasps.

After a few minutes, Edlyn finished stitching up the wound. Then she cleaned it and dressed it with a piece of cloth that she wrapped around Fili's torso.

"It's done." She said with an exhausted smile.

Everyone let out sighs of relief and started smiling and hugging each other when they realized that Fili was going to be alright. Edlyn smiled too, satisfied that she had succeeded without error.

Suddenly, the aftermath of the stress that she had experienced earlier hit her hard. She got light headed and toppled backwards from the kneeling/squatting position she was in. Just as her bottom hit the ground, she felt a pair of strong arms catch her and hold her steady. She turned her head and found both Bofur and Oin holding her up. The older dwarf smiled down at her and rubbed his hand on her shoulder soothingly.

"Excellent work, lass." He whispered. She nodded then bowed her head towards the ground.

"Everything looks good." She stated to the company. "If we do things correctly, Fili will completely recover without any more problems."

"Will he be suitable for travel?" Balin asked.

"Actually, yes he will." She responded. "However, if he does, we're going to have to slow our pace. But, the best thing right now is for him to get some rest."

Thorin stepped forward. "From the looks of it, you _both_ could use some rest." He gave her a grateful smile.

Edlyn responded by giving him a tired one.

* * *

 **A/N: I may have made some mistakes with the medical stuff, like how one probably shouldn't try to pull the arrow out the way Edlyn did, or the fact that the arrow miraculously didn't cause more damage or go in farther.**

 **Also, I think this whole plot of one of the Durin princes accidentally shooting the other with an arrow has been used before. I was only half conscious of that when I wrote this. This was mainly inspired by a piece of fanart by Tenshi-Inverse on Deviantart called "Just Hold On".**

 **Anyway, I ended up revising a lot of stuff in this chapter and if you read the original story you will definitely see some major changes. For example, when I wrote the original story, I wasn't entirely aware that Oin was the healer in the company until part 3. So the whole thing about whether Oin would be able to perform the surgery or not was not in the story.** **That and the whole thing with Thorin not trusting Edlyn was an add-on to the story. Remember, I wrote "Battle Wound" first, long before I even came up with the idea for the rest of the story.**


	18. Book I CH 18: Battle Wound?-Part II

**A/N: I apologize ahead of time for the overabundance of talking in this chapter.**

* * *

 **~Battle Wound?-Part II~**

* * *

 **~Confessions~**

* * *

(4 hours later)

It was after sunset and everyone was quiet as they sat around the campsite. Some tried to go to sleep but found that they couldn't since the incident of the day still lingered in their minds.

Edlyn was one of these unfortunate souls. She tried to fall asleep and failed many times, so she decided to go sit by the fire. After a while of sitting around enveloped in the deafening silence that had fallen over the company, she came to the conclusion that she needed to be alone. Getting up from the spot that she had claimed for herself, Edlyn started to walk away into the darkness.

"Where are you going?" Bofur asked, jumping up from his own spot with a slight look of alarm on his face.

Edlyn paused then turned to face him.

"I just need to have some time to myself." She said. He gave her an unsure look. "Don't worry; I won't stray very far from camp. I've got my sword with me just in case."

He gave her a reluctant nod and she turned and kept walking. On her way out, she passed ten feet from where Fili was and stopped, turning to look in his direction. He was sound asleep now and had a blanket covering most of his body. Kili was sitting a few feet away with his back to her, watching over his brother.

Edlyn looked over and saw Thorin sitting some ways away watching Fili from a distance; his face was hard, but there was a hint of sadness etched in his features. She looked back at Kili and found that he had turned his head and was looking right at her. Sadness and guilt shown in his brown eyes and her heart ached for the young dwarf. She wanted to smile and show him that everything was alright, but she was just too tired to do so. Unable to look anymore, she turned her head and made her way out of camp.

* * *

Edlyn walked a bit until she found the ruins of an old, stone arch that used to be part of some sort of small fortress or watchtower. Seating herself under the curve of the arch, she looked up towards the stars in the night sky.

Her head was still reeling from the event of the day. She could hardly believe it happened. Did she actually do it? Did she actually succeed in removing the arrowhead without a mistake? How did she manage to be so outwardly calm when she did? She honestly didn't know. Every time she thought about it, her memory got fuzzy. The whole thing just seemed so unreal. It almost felt like someone or something had taken control of her body and did it for her. But while most of it was a blur, there were other parts that she could remember quite clearly.

" _I trust you."_

Fili's words kept ringing in Edlyn's ear and the softness of his voice remained imprinted in her memory. She could still feel his hand wrapped around her own as well as the warm sensation of his other one on her cheek. She thought about how he looked at her, and how his beautiful, blue eyes seemed to glow with reassurance, kindness and, dare she even hope for it, longing. She had never felt closer to him than she did at that moment, but her heart fell when another thought came to her.

Fili's actions most likely didn't mean what she wanted them to mean. He was just comforting her to be a good friend; because that's all he saw her as, a friend. Edlyn wanted him to see her as more than that, but she figured it would only ever remain a dream.

"Edlyn! Edlyn!"

The young healer was violently pulled out of her thoughts when she heard someone calling her name. She twisted her entire upper body around to look and saw a familiar brunette running towards her.

"I'm over here, Kili."

"There you are." He said breathlessly.

She immediately stood up. "What's wrong? Is Fili alright?" The concern in her voice was evident.

"What? Oh, no Fili is great!" He said with a small smile. "He's awake now, actually."

"He is?" Edlyn couldn't stop the relieved smile that tugged on her lips.

"Yes. And he wants to see you."

Edlyn frowned. "He does? Oh uh, alright." She walked over to him and smiled, but it faded when she noticed a small glint of sadness in his eyes. "Are you alright, Kili?"

He looked at her in surprise. "Yes, of course."

She folded her arms across her chest. "No you're not."

He looked at her for a moment then let out a sigh. "You're right. I'm not." She waited for him to continue as the two of them started walking back to camp. "He's my brother, Edlyn. How could I have done this to him?"

"Kili, you shouldn't blame yourself for this." Edlyn answered.

"Well, then who should I blame?" He asked. "I was the one who shot him, it was my arrow." He paused. "I can still hear him screaming. I can't get his cries of pain out of my head. I did that, it was my arrow that was causing him pain."

"You think you're the only one who is haunted by it? We all still hear the cries, Kili." She paused. "Besides, I was the one who was cutting into him with a knife. I was the one who was making him cry out."

"You were doing what you needed to do, that's all." He said. "You saved his life. You wouldn't have had to do it if I hadn't been so careless."

Edlyn stared down at the dwarf, a sensation that she hadn't quite gotten used to since she usually always looked up at men when she spoke to them.

"Does Fili blame you for this?"

"No, he doesn't. He keeps telling me that it's not my fault."

"And he's right." She replied. "It was an accident, Kili, nothing else. He doesn't blame you for it and no one else in the company does, either."

"Thorin does."

Edlyn inhaled deeply "You mustn't take his words so hard. It may seem like he blames you now, but in time he will let it go."

"He hates me, I know it."

Immediately her hand shot out and she caught the young dwarf by the shoulder. She spun him around and looked hard into his eyes. "Stop it." She said firmly. "Don't you dare say that. Thorin doesn't hate you. He could never hate you."

Kili didn't even flinch. "You heard what he said and he's right. I made a stupid mistake and Fili almost died because of it. He has every right to hate me."

"He was just frightened, Kili, we all were." Edlyn said. "He loves you, and he knows that you would never do anything to deliberately hurt your brother. He's just a very stubborn old dwarf, you know that. Just give him time and eventually he will come around." She paused, noting Kili's still sad face. "And if he doesn't, we can always get Dwalin to talk it out of him."

Kili gave her a confused look. "You mean Balin, right?"

"No, I meant Dwalin. He can be pretty persuasive, in his own way." She gave him a wink and immediately he got the joke. He smiled and let out a chuckle.

"Ah ha, there!" She said with a triumphant grin. "I got a chuckle out of you." She paused again. "Everything's going to be alright. Fili is alive and he's going to be fine. That's all that matters now. Do you understand me?"

Kili nodded and the two of them kept walking. For a while there was silence.

"Edlyn."

"Yes?"

"Thank you, for everything."

Edlyn smiled and placed her hand on his shoulder. Then the two of them once again walked in silence; a comfortable silence.

* * *

A couple minutes later, the pair made it back to camp. They walked towards where Fili was and the sight that met Edlyn's eyes made all the fear and worry she felt before melt away.

Fili was sitting upright; his shirt was back on but it was open so his bandages were peeking out from behind. He was talking with the other members of the company, even Thorin. They were laughing about something, Edlyn didn't know what it was, but the very sight of it made her smile. Her and Kili approached the group, who all turned their heads in their direction. Upon seeing Edlyn, Fili flashed her a smile that made her heart skip a beat.

"Well, hello there, fair maiden!" He said.

Edlyn blushed at his words; thankfully it was too dark for anyone to see! However, although she was happy that Fili was well and in good spirits, his words still stung a little as she considered the possibility that Fili didn't actually think of her as fair, he was just teasing her like he always did. No matter how badly she wanted it to be true, he didn't look at her that way.

In response to his remark, she smiled and shook her head. "Typical Fili, always teasing."

Her reply made everyone laugh. However, for a moment she thought she saw Fili's expression fall slightly at her words, but she quickly dismissed it. "Kili said that you wanted to see me."

"Yes, I do." Fili said with a smile, gently patting the ground next to him.

Edlyn turned and looked at Thorin, seeking his permission. Thorin's gaze toward her softened, showing not only gratitude but also a flicker of trust and he gave her an approving nod. She smiled and nodded back, feeling glad and relieved that Thorin might be beginning to trust her again.

She sat down next to Fili before he looked at everyone else. "I would like to speak with her alone, if you gentlemen don't mind."

She gave him a confused look as everyone dispersed. Everyone except Kili, that is; he just stood there and stared at his brother.

"Kili, that means you too." Fili said. Kili hesitated.

"Kili," Edlyn said softly. "Everything is alright. You can go."

He nodded, giving her a weak smile, and then walked off to join the others. Fili's gaze followed him as he left.

"He still blames himself for this, doesn't he?"

She sighed. "I'm afraid so."

"I've already told him many times that it's not his fault." Fili said. "He needs to stop being so hard on himself."

"Well, try to put yourself in his position." Edlyn said. "What if it had been you that accidentally shot him with an arrow? How would you have handled it?"

Fili paused and stared at the ground for a moment. "I'd never forgive myself. But, knowing Kili as well as I do, he would have forgiven me right away."

She nodded. "Kili knows very well that you forgive him, that's not the problem. It's Thorin. Kili believes that he hates him now because of what happened."

Fili frowned. "That's ridiculous! Thorin doesn't hate him."

"I told him the same thing but I don't think he's convinced. And it doesn't help that Thorin appears to be avoiding him right now."

Fili followed her gaze and found that she seemed to be right. Thorin did appear to be avoiding Kili. Every time Kili looked at him, he would turn away with a somber expression on his face, avoiding any possible eye contact. He also seemed to be trying to stay as far away from Kili as he was able to.

Fili sighed. "Uncle is just having a difficult time dealing with all of this. It might take a while but sooner or later, he will find the strength to forgive him."

"That is my belief also." Edlyn replied. "However, Thorin is the only person who can convince Kili of that."

"I know my uncle very well. It will happen, eventually."

"Yes, it will. Time can heal all wounds. Not just the physical ones but the emotional ones as well. And the mental ones too, I hope."

Edlyn smiled at Fili, and he returned the gesture. Her heart started to race as she looked into his soft, warm eyes. He truly was a very beautiful person, inside and out. Every time she saw him or spoke to him, she just wanted to grab his face and kiss him. And every time, it took every ounce of her strength for her to restrain herself.

"Speaking of wounds, how are you faring?" She asked.

"Well," He said, looking up as if he was thinking. "I have a piercing pain in my side. But then again, arrows have a tendency to cause that sort of sensation. Other than that, I'm fantastic."

She smiled at his sarcastic response. "I'm very relieved to hear that."

"Oin thinks you did an excellent job. 'Couldn't have done it better me self' he said."

"Well, believe me that means a lot coming from him."

"Be proud of yourself, sweet lass." Fili said as he pulled his pipe out of his bag. However, before he had a chance to light it, Edlyn quickly snatched it out of his hand.

"No." She said firmly. "No smoking."

Fili looked at her completely bewildered. "What? Why not?!"

"Smoking in general is not good for you." She answered. "Smoking when you're trying to recover from an arrow wound, absolutely not. Give yourself some time to heal first."

"But that's not fair!"

"Fili, I'm the physician here. And I say no, I'm sorry."

Fili pouted like a child. "Brilliant, I survive getting shot by an arrow and I can't even enjoy it."

Edlyn smirked as she put the pipe in _her_ mouth, struck a match, lit it and started to smoke.

Fili glared at her. "Now that's just mean."

She flashed him a teasing smile. "Be jealous, my friend."

Fili scoffed and rolled his eyes. Edlyn grinned and continued to smoke, exaggerating every puff just to torture him.

"Could you stop it, please?" He said.

She turned to him and playfully blew a puff of smoke in his face. "As you wish." She said, putting the pipe away. "Happy now?"

"Very much so, thank you."

Edlyn smiled and stared at him for a while. As she looked him over from head to foot, the memories of what happened that day flashed in her mind.

"Thank you." She said suddenly.

He looked at her curiously. "What for?"

"Having faith in me; honestly I think you were the only person who really did."

"I knew you could do it."

"But you put your life in my hands, Fili. That was a huge gamble."

"Well, I trusted you." He answered. "Deep down, I knew you weren't going to make a mistake." He paused. "How are you?"

She looked at him surprised. "Me?"

"Yes. I know I'm alright but I want to know how you're doing."

Edlyn nodded slightly. "Well, my head's still spinning a bit. Other than that, I'm good."

"You looked like you were about to faint before."

She scoffed. "For a moment there I almost did." She paused. "I'm not going to lie to you, Fili. I was frightened. I had only ever performed a surgery like that once before, but even that's not what scared me. Last time, I didn't even know who that person was. When you do something like that on a stranger, that's one thing, but doing it on a friend is something entirely different. It's just…..terrifying."

Fili reached over and started rubbing her back soothingly. "It's all over now; you don't have to think about it anymore. I'm alive because of what you did and the worst is behind us. Do you understand me?" She nodded and he smiled. "So, will I have scar?"

"Most likely, yes." She replied. "Why, is that a bad thing?"

He smirked. "No, it'll be interesting. I could show it off to people, kind of like a battle wound."

"A battle wound?" Edlyn asked. Fili nodded and she smiled. "So, when people ask you how you got the scar, what will you tell them?"

"I'll just tell them the truth." He replied with a shrug. "I'll tell them that me, my brother Kili and our friend Dwalin were out hunting when we were attacked by 20 orcs."

"Ah, I see." Edlyn said with an amused smile.

"We fought them off heroically." He continued. "We killed most of them and drove the others away, but not before their leader shot me with one of his arrows."

"Oh my!" She said with mock surprise. "Then what happened?"

"I almost died." He said. "But I was saved; saved by the most beautiful maiden in all of Middle Earth."

Edlyn paused for a moment, having been taken slightly off guard by his words. She wanted to believe that he meant what he said. Usually, she had no difficulty reading people, but for some reason she was having a hard time interpreting his expression. Ultimately, she figured he was just teasing her again.

"Excellent story," She said with a smirk. "But you kind of exaggerated that part, though."

"Which part?"

"The part about the most beautiful maiden in all of Middle Earth, a bit of an exaggeration there, don't you think?"

"That wasn't an exaggeration; it was an understatement."

She stared at him, trying to read his face. He didn't actually mean it, did he? And even if he did, that doesn't mean he has feelings for her, does it? She wasn't sure what to believe. She didn't say anything. She just looked at the ground trying to hide the blush that had formed on her cheeks.

"I was afraid too, you know." He said.

She looked at him with a questioning gaze.

"Even though I trusted you, I couldn't help but feel that there was a chance that I might die." He said. "The realization of my own mortality made me discover what I was truly afraid of. But it wasn't death itself that I was afraid of; my worst fear was that I would die before I had the chance to tell you the truth."

Edlyn's heart started to pound hard. "Tell me what?"

Fili didn't say anything, he just looked at her.

"Fili, tell me what?" She asked again.

He continued to look at her in silence. It appeared that he was trying to say something but the words wouldn't come out. He turned his head away from her and she decided to not push it any farther.

"I'm not teasing you, you know." He said suddenly.

"Excuse me?" She asked confused.

"Earlier, when I called you fair, you accused me of teasing you. I wasn't teasing, I never have."

Edlyn just stared at him, struck speechless by the sudden seriousness of his tone.

"Every time I've ever called you fair, every time I've ever said you're beautiful, I meant it; with every ounce of me, I meant it." He continued. "You _are_ the most beautiful maiden in Middle Earth. To me, you are."

Her brow furrowed.

"I always thought you were beautiful, Edlyn." He said. "From the moment I met you, my feelings towards you were strong. Thoughts of you fill my head each night and every time I see you my heart races. I admire everything about you. You're just incredible in every possible way."

"Fili…"

"I love you, Edlyn. I always have. And each day, I fall even more in love with you."

Edlyn's jaw hung open and she stared at him wide eyed and silent. For a moment she thought her ears weren't working and she had misheard him. Did he just say what she thought he just said? Did he just tell her that he loves her? It took her a moment to realize that she had heard him correctly.

Her heart was pounding so fast she thought it was just going to give out. On the inside, she wanted to shout, throw her arms around Fili and kiss him. But for some reason, the signal didn't reach her body. She was frozen, just staring at him in silence. She broke eye contact with him and looked at the ground once again.

Suddenly, Fili placed his fingers under Edlyn's chin and tipped her head up so she was looking right at him. His face was inches from hers and there was a look of desire in his eyes, the likes of which she had never seen. Before she had a chance to react, his lips were already pressed against hers.

Her insides were screaming. Was this real?! Yes it was! She couldn't believe it! If she had control over her body she would have kissed him back, but she was still frozen. The kiss only lasted a few moments, after which Fili broke away from her. She stared at him with a surprised and uncertain expression and his face fell when she turned away from him, her body being still not sure how to react.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" He broke off and ran his hand over his face, thinking that he had offended her somehow. "I just needed you to know how I felt. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep unless I told you."

He stopped talking. For a while after that, there was silence between them. Edlyn just stared off into the darkness for a bit, and then her gaze turned to Fili. He was looking away from her but she could tell by his posture that he was a bit upset, obviously mad at himself for being so bold. As she looked at him she got that same urge that she had before; the urge to just grab him and kiss him.

Only this time it was mixed with a feeling of joy and relief, because she realized that now she didn't have to hold herself back. She had nothing to lose because Fili had already taken that risk for her. And after the invisible chain that had weighed her down finally vanished, she gave in to her impulse.

Turning Fili's head towards her with her hand, Edlyn grabbed his face and kissed him hard. At first, he was surprised by her sudden action, but eventually he surrendered and returned it. After a minute, the two of them broke away from each other.

Fili's brow furrowed. "Alright, now I'm really confused. What was that?"

She sighed. "A very late response, I'm afraid. It's just my way of telling you that the feeling is mutual."

Fili's eyebrows shot up "Wait, really?" Edlyn smile and nodded. "Oh uh, great!"

He gave her a crooked smile that made her giggle. Then the two of them leaned in and kissed again, this time it was much deeper and more passionate than before. Edlyn's heart was pounding and her cheeks burned, but she didn't care; she was too busy getting lost in the kiss. Fili's hands were around her waist and she could feel him smiling against her lips.

Suddenly, he broke away, let out a gasp and clutched his side. Edlyn stopped for a moment, and then she remembered that he had gotten shot with an arrow earlier that day.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Fili!" She said with a look of guilt and concern.

"It's alright, it was worth it." He replied with a smile

"Let me take a look at that." She leaned down and inspected the wound. As she did, she could feel Fili's warm gaze upon her and the very sensation made her smile.

"It doesn't look too bad." She said. "However, you're going to have to take it easy for the rest of the night."

Fili smirked. "I guess that means that kissing is the only thing that you and I will be doing tonight, right?"

She playfully smacked his shoulder with a gasp of pretend shock. "Of course, you naughty dwarf. Doctor's orders."

He rubbed his shoulder "Well, would you at least keep me company?"

"Nothing would give me greater pleasure."

She leaned forward and kissed him lightly. Then Fili laid himself down, pulling Edlyn down with him. He held her close as she pulled the blanket over the both of them. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest. The two of theem laid there in silence, just taking in each other's scents.

"I bet you just couldn't wait to get my shirt off, could you?" Fili said with a smirk.

"Don't be cheeky, Fili." Edlyn said without looking at him. He smiled and kissed her temple. "But you're right, I couldn't." She smiled up at him and he laughed and held her closer.

Kili sat some ways off, watching Fili and Edlyn. As soon as he saw the two of them kiss, he smiled. He had always known about his brother's feelings for her and he knew it would only be a matter of time before he told her.

As he watched them, he suddenly felt a strong hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw that it was Thorin. His uncle looked at him for a moment, and then he smiled and pulled him into a tight hug. He didn't say anything, and honestly he didn't have to. Kili knew that it meant that all was forgiven.

Edlyn and Fili, meanwhile, remained comfortably locked in each other's embrace. A smile formed on the young healer's lips as the gentle sound of Fili's heartbeat lulled her to sleep.

She had to admit, as stressful as this day was, it couldn't have ended any better.

* * *

 **A/N: OK, I feel like I should warn you guys. Since Fili and Edlyn's relationship has officially taken the next step and they FINALLY confessed their feelings and kissed (took them long enough!), I should warn you that my writing is going to be getting a bit bolder from here on out. Yes, that does mean that the two of them will be getting intimate later. Not so much in this book but definitely in later books. So, be prepared.**

 **Also, don't expect their relationship to be easy. Things are going to get more complex later.**

 **Anyway, I realized that I made Edlyn a little dense here, with not being able to tell that Fili had feelings for her. Oh well, you can't expect them all to be perfect, can you?**

 **And you can see what I mean when said that these chapters might seem a bit episodic, can't you?**


	19. Book I CH 19: The Mountain Pass

**A/N: Warning, this chapter contains slight sexuality near the end. It shouldn't be too bad but I just thought I'd warn you**

* * *

 **~The Mountain Pass~**

 _"This can not get any worse, can it?"_ Edlyn thought to herself.

After leaving Rivendell, the company had traveled for about a week through the edge of the wild before finally making it to the Misty Mountains. Now, here they were on the mountain pass, walking along a path that was dangerous and narrow, about a foot and a half width wise, with a cliff on one side and a sheer drop on the other, and no railing. If that wasn't bad enough, there was a fierce storm raging around them, with thunder, lightening and rain that was making the rocky path wet, slippery and even more dangerous.

So, Edlyn asked herself, could this get any worse? She sure as hell hoped not!

"Hold on!" Thorin shouted from the front of the group.

"You don't have to tell _me_ that." Edlyn muttered.

Her heart pounded as she pressed her back against the cliff face to avoid falling. Fili was in front of her with Kili in front of him and Bofur was right on her tail with Bilbo following him. At one point, Bilbo almost fell forward down the drop, but thankfully Dwalin caught him. That did nothing to calm the young healer's fear, which was written on her face, despite her pointless attempt to hide it. Fili turned around, as he always did to make sure she was alright, and noticed the look of nervousness on her face.

"Are you alright." He asked.

She looked at him as if he just asked the stupidest question in the world, because he did. "No, I'm not." She replied. "I normally don't mind heights, but this, this is ridiculous!"

She briefly looked downward then quickly pulled back and looked away. Why on earth did she look down? That was a stupid idea! Fili smiled slightly then reached back and grabbed her hand, holding it firmly but gently.

"Don't worry, I won't let you fall. I promise." He said softly.

Edlyn looked at him and his eyes gazed into hers with a look of deep love and affection; the look that a man gives to the one woman that he has surrendered his heart to completely; the look that he knew he didn't have to hide anymore. He has looked at her like that ever since the incident with the arrow. Ever since he received his little "battle wound" and she had saved his life. Ever since the moment he first confessed his love for her and she did the same to him, their relationship was forever changed. They were no longer just friends anymore; now, they were lovers. _Lovers._ Yes, that's what they were. Even though they hadn't…..you know (at least not yet), they still considered themselves to be lovers. And they both loved the way it sounded.

Edlyn smiled back at Fili with the exact same look in her eyes and grasped his hand confidently. They had decided that there was no point in trying to hide their relationship from the company; they already knew anyway, which was Kili's fault. He just couldn't keep his mouth shut. And because of that, showing affection towards each other in public was no longer embarrassing. The two of them had even kissed a couple times in front the others before, so holding hands was certainly no issue.

In fact, the incident with the arrow changed Edlyn's relationship with everyone else in the company too. All the dwarves now saw her as a hero for saving Fili's life (even though she modestly kept on denying it) and Thorin had begun to trust her again. And he certainly didn't mind that her and his nephew were now together; in fact, he seemed to be happy for them both.

Edlyn held onto Fili's hand as they both gazed warmly into each other's eyes. All the fear she felt before disappeared and she felt safe; he always made her feel safe. The two of them kept walking, or inching slowly was more like it, with their hands intertwined.

"We must find shelter!" Thorin informed everyone.

"Look out!" Dwalin suddenly shouted.

They looked up to see a giant boulder come flying through the air and hit the mountainside right above their heads. Edlyn let out a half scream, half gasp as her, Fili and everyone else pressed themselves against the mountain to avoid the shower of rocks that resulted from the impact.

"This is no thunderstorm!" Balin said. "It's a thunder battle! Look!"

They all looked to where he was pointing and saw, to their utter amazement and terror, a enormous giant made completely out of stone suddenly emerge from the side of the mountain.

"Well, bless me, the legends are true." Bofur exclaimed. "Giants; Stone Giants!"

The first giant threw a boulder far over their heads and hit another giant that had suddenly appeared behind them, hitting it in the head. The dwarves all yelled at each other to brace themselves as the ground beneath them began to give way from the vibrations and the impact of the falling rocks. Suddenly, the ground beneath Kili's feet split. Fili let go of Edlyn's hand to reach for his brother and she saw the fear on their faces as the ground separated them from each other and took half the company with it. She looked up and that's when she saw what had happened; there was a third giant involved in this thunder battle and they were right on its knees. Things just got worse!

The giants continued to fight with their fists while the company held on for their lives as they were flung around. Thankfully, at one point, Thorin and others were able to leap to safety when the one giant's knee knocked against the mountainside giving them clear access to an escape. However, Edlyn, Fili and the rest of the company were still trapped on the giant's other knee and had no such luck. The young woman's heart was pounding with sheer terror and she held on for her life as the giant that they had hitched a ride on got its head knocked off by another giant, sending its headless body flailing around. At one point, Fili almost fell forward.

"FILI! NO!" Edlyn shouted as she dove forward and grabbed his cloak before he fell and, with all her might, pulled him back and held him against the side next to her. "Don't you dare!" She shouted at him.

He looked at her then the two of them looked ahead and saw the mountainside heading towards them as the headless giant they were on fell forward. Edlyn and Fili held onto each other tight as they braced for the impact. The giant fell against the mountainside, sending everyone flying onto the ledge in a big, messy heap as the unlucky giant fell down into the chasm.

Edlyn landed on her side right next to Fili with a pained gasp. She rolled over onto her back and stared up at the sky, trying to calm herself down. Suddenly, she felt an arm snake underneath her and lift her slightly. She looked up and saw Fili leaning over her with his arm under her shoulder, his blue eyes laced with concern.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

She stared at him for a moment. "Shouldn't I be asking _you_ that?" She paused. "I'll be fine. Once I get my heart to stop racing. However, you being as close to me as you are really isn't helping that."

She smiled at him and he smiled back then helped her up, only to have them both get tackle hugged by Kili. Nothing was broken, much to everyone's relief. However, Kili's tight hug probably didn't help that.

"Where's Bilbo? Where's the hobbit?" Bofur shouted suddenly.

"There!" Ori shouted.

Everyone looked and saw Bilbo hanging by his fingers on the edge of the cliff. Ori and Bofur immediately dove for him; however he slipped slightly and caught another handhold. The dwarves tried to pull him, but with no success. Just then, Thorin swung down onto the cliff next to Bilbo and grabbed him, hoisting him far enough so the others could pull him up.

Suddenly, Thorin lost his grip and started to fall. Dwalin caught him but was struggling to pull him up. Without even thinking, Edlyn dove forward, with Fili shouting her name from behind, and reached over the edge to grab his hand. Strangely though, she used her left hand, which was weird since she was right-handed. Thorin grabbed her hand and she placed her right hand on a protruding rock for leverage.

As she pulled Thorin up, her right hand slipped a bit and she immediately felt a sharp, stinging pain which caused her to grit her teeth. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw blood on the rock that her hand was on, but she tried to ignore the pain and just focus on helping Thorin. As soon as he was safe, Edlyn collapsed onto her rear, grimacing in pain and clutching her hand. Fili was by her side within seconds.

"What happened? What's wrong?" He asked. Edlyn didn't answer; she just opened her hand to reveal a large cut that went right across her palm. "You're hurt." Fili said, concerned.

"It's nothing. I just caught the sharp edge of a rock, that's all." Edlyn said. "It just needs to be cleaned and bandaged, and then it will be fine." Although, she couldn't deny that it hurt like the devil. But despite the pain, she was still able to hear what everyone else was saying.

"I thought we lost our burglar." Dwalin said, referring to Bilbo.

"He's been lost ever since he left home." Thorin said. "He should never have come. He has no place amongst us."

Edlyn was a bit angered by Thorin's harsh words and she looked at him as he passed her by. He looked at her briefly then turned and called Dwalin to help search for shelter. She looked over at Bilbo and saw that he was hurt by Thorin's words. She decided that she would talk to the hobbit later. But first, she had to take care of her own injury, so she got up and followed everyone as they walked to the cave that Dwalin and Thorin had found to be their shelter for the night.

* * *

As soon as everyone entered the cave, Edlyn sat herself down on a large rock and placed her pack on the ground next to her. Fili knelt down on the ground in front of her and Oin stood on her right as she looked over her injured hand.

"Let me take a look at that, lassie." Oin said.

"No, it's alright, Oin." She said. "I know what to do."

He didn't argue with her, because, after all, she was a healer too. Edlyn reached into her pack and pulled out a roll of bandages, which she gave to Oin to hold onto, and then she reached in again and pulled out a small, glass phial that contained a clear, colorless liquid. Oin stared at the phial with a piqued interest.

"What is that?" He asked.

Edlyn smiled at him fondly. That was how her and Oin bonded with each other. Because he was also a healer, the two of them liked to talk and exchange ideas for medicines and herbs. However, it became more of him receiving ideas from her, since he was always more eager to know whatever strange, new secret she had learned from her master.

"This…" She said in reply to his question. "...is a remedy that Master Redd discovered. This is the ingredient in ale that makes a person all loopy when they drink too much of it. Only, this is it in its purest form and it works wonderfully for disinfecting wounds. However, he learned that pouring it onto an open wound is not the safest thing to do so he added something to it to make is less caustic to the surrounding flesh. Master Redd calls it _gl_ _ân_ _û_ _r,_ which is a Sindarin word he picked. _"_

As she spoke she tried to take the top off the phial, but her injury made it difficult. Fili took the phial from her, offering her his help. "As for myself…" She continued. "….I simply call it by its Westron translation: _clear fire."_

"Why did your master call it that?" Fili asked as he popped the top off and handed it to her.

"Because it burns like fire when you apply it to a wound." She responded simply as she handed the phial to Oin. At her words, Fili looked up at her with a slight look of alarm on his face, and she immediately knew what he was thinking.

"Don't worry." Edlyn said calmly. "I can handle it. It's not the first I've had to use this stuff on myself." She turned to Oin, holding her injured hand out to him. "Go ahead, Oin. Only a couple drops will be good."

Oin nodded and Edlyn turned her head away. As soon as the antiseptic touched the wound, a sharp, stinging, burning pain shot through her hand and up her arm, causing her to gasp and bite down on her lip to prevent herself from crying out. Good grief! That stuff stings!

Fili didn't hesitate to grab her other hand and hold it tight with a worried look on his face. Edlyn smiled slightly at his unnecessary concern, but it was quickly replaced with a grimace as Oin poured another drop onto the wound and started bandaging it up. When he was done, she thanked him and put the phial back in her pack. Oin nodded and went off to join his brother. Edlyn looked at her bandaged hand and back at Fili, who still had that worried look on his face.

"There, that wasn't so bad, was it?" She said. Fili nodded but he still had an unsure look on his face. She tilted her head curiously. "Fili, look at me." He obeyed. "Everything's alright. See, I told you I could handle it."

"I know." He said quietly. "It's just..." He looked her for a moment then he gently took her injured hand in his and kissed it. "...I hate seeing you in pain."

She shrugged. "Well, I hate being in pain. It's not a pleasant sensation. But, unfortunately, it's a part of life; we all feel it." She paused. "You're normally not like this, Fili. Since when did you start worrying so much?"

"Since finding you gave me something else worth worrying about." He replied.

Edlyn's heart melted in her chest at the softness of his voice. Smiling, she placed her fingers under his chin and tilted his head up so his blue eyes were looking right into hers.

"You know, you really need to stop being so charming." She said. "It's going to be the death of me."

He smiled at her words and she smiled back. Then she leaned down to kiss him and he leaned forward to receive it. However, right when her lips were inches from his, Edlyn paused and pulled back, flashing him a tantalizing smile. She liked to tease him like that sometimes.

"Hold that thought." She said, holding her finger against his lips before getting up and walking off with her pack. Fili smiled and shook his head. Edlyn, meanwhile, walked over to Bilbo, who was sitting by himself with a troubled look on his face.

"Are you alright?" She asked the hobbit. He didn't reply. "I overheard what Thorin said to you before. You shouldn't listen to him, you definitely belong with us."

Bilbo looked up at Edlyn with a slight frown and she gave him a reassuring smile. Then she walked over and claimed a spot for herself not too far away from the exit. She reached into her pack and pulled out a comb. She undid her braid and started combing her long, dark hair to get all the wet tangles out.

Fili watched her as she combed her hair out with a soft smile on his face. He still couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that someone as amazing as her loved him. It made no sense to him. He didn't know how it happened. All he knew was now that he had her, he was never going to let her go. Smiling more, he got up and walked over to her quietly. She didn't see him since she had your back to him and she let out a surprised gasp when he sneak attacked her with a kiss to the neck from behind.

"Fili!" She shouted, giving him a shove which caused him to laugh.

"I'm sorry. Did I startle you?" He asked.

"Yes, you did." She replied. "Please warn me before you do that next time." He nodded then got up to leave. However, she stopped him. "Hey, I never said you couldn't do it."

She gave him a smirk then tilted her head to the side, giving him clear access to her neck. He accepted her invitation with a smile and started kissing up and down her neck. She smiled, enjoying the sensation of his breath tickling her neck and his lips caressing her skin. The other dwarves had noticed what was going on. Dwalin and some of the older dwarves just rolled their eyes while the others looked on in interest, but the two lovebirds didn't care at all. Fili's hands, which started on Edlyn's shoulders, began to travel down her arms and down the curves of her body. Suddenly, his hand landed on a sensitive part of her stomach, causing her to instinctively push it away.

"Careful, Fili." She said. "I'm very ticklish."

"Oh, you _are?_ " He said with a mischievous smile.

Edlyn's eyes widened when she realized what he was about to do. "No, Fili! Don't!" She warned, but it was too late. Fili tackled her to the ground, pinned her down and mercilessly started tickling her.

Edlyn let out a squeal followed by a fit of laughter as she tried to push Fili off of her. But he was a strong dwarf, so it didn't work.

"Stop, Fili! I...can't...breathe!" She pleaded in the midst of her laughter.

Of course, Fili ignored her and just laughed. The other dwarves laughed too. Edlyn couldn't take it anymore; she had to get Fili to stop. She did the only thing she could think of; she reached up, grabbed one of his braids and yanked it hard. Fili gasped and pulled back, ceasing the tickling and allowing the young healer to catch her breath.

"Was that really necessary?" He asked.

"Yes." Edlyn said, sitting up and propping herself up on her elbows. "I had to get you to stop."

"Well, you got your revenge. Are you satisfied?" He asked.

"Satisfied? Not even close." She said with a wicked smile. "I have something much more sinister planned for you later."

"Oh, I'm so scared." He said sarcastically.

"You should be." She said with another smile.

Fili smiled back, then he paused and stared at her, reaching his hand up and stroking her cheek softly with his knuckles. She leaned into his touch and gazed at him warmly. The two of them just stared into each other's eyes for a moment, then Fili leaned forward and started kissing Edlyn softly, which she returned. After a while, he broke away from her.

"I love you, so much." He breathed against her lips.

"Likewise." She whispered, because that's how she always responded when she agreed with something he said.

He smiled then leaned forward again and started kissing her more passionately this time. She reached her hand up and started running her fingers through his hair as the kiss got deeper. She was no longer sitting upright but was lying on the ground now with Fili practically on top of her. The other dwarves all turned away, since they knew better than to watch.

Edlyn and Fili's lips were dancing around with each other and she had already allowed his tongue entrance into her mouth. She arched her back until her chest was pressed against his. Their lips never broke away from each other once as Fili's hands trailed down Edlyn's body until they made it between her legs, which he parted and lower himself down in between. Both of them let out a slight moan as he started to grind against her a bit, sending her mind and heart reeling, and she felt the warm, tingly sensation spread all over her body, especially down below.

It would have been easy for her to have just given herself over to him right then and there. However, other than her clothes, there were many factors that were holding her back, including thirteen very obvious ones.

"Hey you two."

Edlyn and Fili broke away from each other and looked up to see Thorin standing over them with a stern look on his face that had a hint of amusement hidden in there.

"Not here." He said simply as he turned and walked off.

Fili let out a sigh and hung his head, then looked at Edlyn. She smiled up at him as a blush appeared on both their faces.

"Unfortunately, Thorin is right." She said as she gently pushed Fili off of her. "Now is neither the time nor the place. We just survived an encounter with Stone Giants and we're camping in a cave that may or may not be already occupied. Plus, you still need to recover from your "battle wound"." She pointed to the spot on his abdomen where the arrow had hit him before. "And now, I'm injured." She held up her bandaged hand. "So we both need to take it easy. But, you are more than welcome to keep me company tonight."

Fili smiled. "Nothing would give me greater pleasure."

With that, the two of them got themselves set up for bed. Edlyn laid down and Fili laid down beside her with his arms wrapped around her waist. He leaned up and kissed her gently on the cheek as the two of them slowly drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, Bilbo sat some ways off, watching the two of them with a troubled mind. What Edlyn didn't know was that her words of encouragement from before actually hurt Bilbo rather than help him. What she should have said was "You definitely belong with the company." But she had said "You definitely belong with us." thus implying that she had found her place among the company and he had not. And honestly, he didn't feel that he ever would.

He even believed that Edlyn herself didn't want him there anymore.

He now felt that there was no longer a reason for him to stay.

* * *

 **A/N: I apologize for any ruined panties that may have happened as a result of that hot make out session that occurred. I think Fili (and myself) got a little carried away there. Don't say I didn't warn you. However, I should also warn you that this is not the most extreme thing I will do in this story.**

 **Also, I feel I need to explain something here. The "clear fire" that Edlyn used to disinfect her wound is my Middle Earth equivalent of Ethanol, A.K.A pure alcohol. I believe this stuff has existed for thousands of years so for it to exist in this time is not that far fetched. However, whether it was discovered as an antiseptic back in those days is unknown to me. If not, then let's just pretend that Master Redd discovered it.**

 **Another thing, I know that putting pure alcohol on an open wound is not the safest thing to do (so I have read online) because it can dissolve the surrounding tissue. That is why I added the (somewhat lazy) detail that "Master Redd added something to it to make it less caustic". Don't ask me what it is, though. A little Elven medicine, perhaps? I seriously don't know.**

 **I do try so hard to research as much as I can for this story to give a level of realism and make sure that every detail is taken care of, but every once in a while some little detail will slip through the cracks. I try so hard people, I really do! Bear with me please.**


	20. Book I CH 20: A Feeling of Belonging

**A/N: This chapter is really short. Sorry.**

* * *

 **~A Feeling of Belonging~**

 _"Aw, come on, really?"_ Edlyn sighed to herself.

It was late that same night and she had just woken up for no reason. She was wide awake and couldn't go back to sleep, no matter how hard she tried. Why does this always happen to her? She lay there awake, in between the two heirs of Durin. She was lying on her side, facing the exit and Fili was lying right behind her with his arms around her waist and his face buried against her back.

She turned slightly to look at him and smiled when she saw that he was sound asleep. Or more appropriately, when she felt him softly snoring against her back. She didn't move a muscle or make a sound for fear of waking him. He was really very cute when he was asleep; he was cute no matter what.

Edlyn still couldn't believe that she and he were together. She couldn't believe that this incredible dwarf looked at her and though she was the most beautiful woman in the world. It was crazy! It made no sense! But it was wonderful! And she wouldn't trade it for anything! She didn't even really care that Fili was practically the same age as her grandfather (a fact that still weirded her out every once in a while), it didn't matter. He was hers now, and she wanted no other.

She smiled again and looked around to see if anyone else was awake. The only person who was awake was Bofur, who was given watch duty by Thorin, something that he obviously wasn't too happy about. Edlyn couldn't say she blamed him; watch duty isn't fun. Bofur was sitting by the exit, tapping his foot and gazing around, looking very bored; poor dear. She would have offered to take his place since she couldn't sleep anyway, but she still dare not move or speak for fear of waking Fili, so she said nothing and Bofur didn't notice her lying there awake. She closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of light footsteps. She lifted her head slightly to see who it was, thinking that it might be Bofur, but she was surprised to see Bilbo walking towards the exit. He had his pack on his back and his walking stick. What was he doing? Was he leaving? Yes, that's exactly what he was doing. If she wasn't at that moment being held captive, she would have leapt right off the ground and stopped him. Thankfully, someone else beat her to it.

"Where do you think you're going?" Bofur asked Bilbo as the hobbit walked by him without realizing he was there at first. Bilbo stopped and turned to look at him.

"Back to Rivendell." He replied.

Bofur frantically stood up. "No, no, you can't turn back now; you're part of the company. You're one of us."

"But I'm not though, am I?" Bilbo said. "Let's face it, Bofur. I don't belong here, with the company, I never did."

He paused.

"And, do you know who else didn't belong with the company?" He said. "Edlyn."

Both he and Bofur turned to look to where Edlyn was sleeping. She quickly shut her eyes and kept her head down so that they'd think she was asleep.

"She told me when the journey started that she didn't feel like she fit in with you lot either." Bilbo went on. "She told me that she was a misfit, like me. She said that we would be misfits together and that she would stick with me until we both found our place among the company. But now, I'm still a misfit and she's not. You all have accepted her already, even Thorin has accepted her. And more importantly, she has Fili. She has a reason to belong now, I don't. She doesn't need me, not anymore."

As Bilbo spoke, a knot of guilt formed in the pit of Edlyn's chest as she silently listened with a frown on her face. Is that why he's leaving, because of her? Was she really so blind that she couldn't tell that he felt like he had been left behind? How could she have not noticed? Now everything she had said to him before, about sticking with him, all sounded like a joke; a broken promise. He probably thinks that she had forgotten about him. Or worse, that she didn't want him there anymore.

"Besides." Bilbo continued. "Thorin said I should never have come along, and he was right. I'm not a Took, I'm a Baggins. I don't know what I was thinking. I should never have run out my door."

"You're homesick." Bofur said. "I understand."

"No, you don't understand!" Bilbo said. "None of you do-you're dwarves, besides Edlyn, of course. You're used to-to this life, living on the road, never settling in one place, not belonging anywhere."

Immediately, Bofur's expression fell.

"I'm sorry, I didn't..." Bilbo said when he realized that he had gone too far.

"No, you're right." Bofur said, turning and looking at the sleeping company. "We don't belong anywhere." Then he turned back to Bilbo. "I wish you all the luck in the world. I really do."

He smiled and placed his hand on Bilbo's shoulder. Bilbo turned and started walking away. Edlyn would have jumped up and stopped him; telling him that she wanted him to stay and apologizing to him for not keeping her promise. However, at that moment, she saw a curious look cross Bofur's face.

"What's that?" He asked.

Bilbo unsheathed the dagger that Gandalf had given him. It was glowing bright blue. Edlyn vaguely remember overhearing Gandalf telling him that it would glow blue for some reason, but she forgot what it was. However, it didn't take her long to find out.

She heard an unusual sound come from the ground under her.

"Wake up! Everyone, wake up!" Thorin shouted.

Everyone bolted upright just as the floor of the cave collapsed downwards, sending the entire company, including Bilbo, plummeting down into the dark chasm.

* * *

They were falling down some sort of chute. Sights and sounds flew past them unintelligibly as Edlyn found herself being knocked around, colliding with the bodies of the dwarves. Finally, they landed quite painfully in a messy pile, with Edlyn landing on top of Nori and Kili landing on top of her.

When she looked around she saw that they had landed in a wooden cage of some sort. Before they had a chance to stand up, they were suddenly swarmed by a horde of hideous little creatures.

Goblins! Dozens of them!

They grabbed the company and took their weapons, dragging everyone down a vast network of tunnels. Edlyn fought against her captors, but there were too many of them. Not even the dwarves were able to fight them. Then they looked up and that's when they saw him, sitting on his throne, overlooking his dark, shabby kingdom.

 _The Goblin King!_

* * *

 **A/N: Yeah. Again, sorry for this very, very short chapter. This was really just used as an extra bit that I didn't want to attach to either the previous chapter or the next chapter for fear of making them too long. There will be a couple more of these later. Sorry, it's just something that I feel the need to do. Besides, I felt like this scene deserved its own chapter rather than mingling with the next scene.**


	21. Book I CH 21: The Goblin King

**A/N: Warning, this chapter contains pervy goblins, and ...SCROTUM BEARDS! DUN-DUN-DUN!**

* * *

 **~The Goblin King~**

He was a very hideous creature, very hideous indeed. Large and obese, with greasy, scaly warts all over his body and some sort of flabby growth hanging off of his chin. His eyes were big and bloodshot, his hair was thin and straggly and he had a crown made out of horns on his head. He was the most hideous creature Edlyn had ever seen and the very sight of him made her sick. He let out a loud, hacking, wet cough as strange music started to play.

"I feel a song coming on." He said. Then he started to sing.

 _Snip snap, the black crack_  
 _Grip, grab, pinch and nab_  
 _Batter and beat, make em stammer and squeak_  
 _Pound pound, far underground_  
 _Down down down in Goblin Town_  
 _With a swish and a smack, and a whip and a crack_  
 _Everyone talks when they're on our rack_  
 _Pound pound, far underground_  
 _Down down down in Goblin Town_  
 _Hammer and torch, get out your knockers and gongs_  
 _You won't last long on the end of my prongs_  
 _Clish, clash, crush and smash_  
 _Bang, break, shiver and shake_  
 _You can yell and yelp, but there ain't no help_  
 _Pound pound, far underground_  
 _Down down down in Goblin Town_

"Catchy, isn't it?" The Goblin King said. "It's one of my own compositions."

"That's not a song." Balin said. "It's an abomination!" The rest of the company chimed in their agreements.

"Abominations, mutations, deviations...that's all you going to find down here." The Goblin King said. Then he got off his throne and glared down at the company as their weapons were laid in a pile before him. "Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom?" He demanded. "Spies? Thieves? Assassins?"

"Dwarves, Your Malevolence." One of the goblins said.

Wait, what?

Edlyn looked down and realized that she was kneeling, so to them, she looked like she was the same height as the others, which explained why they didn't say that there was a human there also. She was surprised that none of the goblins noticed that she was not standing.

"Dwarves?" The Goblin King asked.

"We found them on the front porch." The goblin replied.

"Well, don't just stand there; search them!" He ordered. "Every crack, every crevice."

The goblins started searching the company. Two goblins approached Edlyn and one of them looked at his companion with a wicked smile.

"I'll handle this one." He said.

Edlyn rolled her eyes in disgust. Oh, brilliant; a pervy goblin. She gritted her teeth behind her lips as the goblin in question began to search her, or feeling her up was more like it. She tried to keep her composure and not lose her cool. Fili, who was on the other side of the crowd and was also being searched, looked in their direction and glared at the goblin that was using his orders to search Edlyn as an excuse to grope her.

The young healer fought the urge to rip the goblin's head off as he continued to feel her up, even getting a quick grab of her ass which made her want to kill him even more. Suddenly, he started undoing her vest and tried to reach down her shirt.

That did it; that set her off.

Edlyn's hand shot up and wrapped around the goblin's throat, causing him to let out a squeak. She ignored the pain in her hand as she lifted the goblin off the ground, standing up to her full height before throwing him down on his rear.

"Don't touch me, you little worm!" She shouted.

The goblin cowered on the ground, looking up at Edlyn in surprise and fear as she glared down at him. His friend also looked at her in surprise and she gave him a quick sneer. Just then, she became aware that everyone else had fallen silent. She looked up and saw that everyone was staring at her. Then she realized that she was standing, thus giving away her true height. The Goblin King was looking at her in surprise and intrigue.

"Bring that one to me." He ordered.

Edlyn's heart started pounding. Suddenly, a goblin came up from behind her and knocked her in the back of the legs, causing her to fall forward to her knees, using her hands to break her fall which only caused severe pain to her injury. Then, that same goblin grabbed her by her hair, which wasn't braided but was hanging loosely down her shoulders. Another goblin grabbed her arm and the two of them dragged her forward and threw her at the Goblin King's feet. She looked up at him and he looked at her for a moment before reaching down and wrapping his hand around her arm and pulling her to her feet.

"My my my!" He said as he looked her over. "What have we got here? You're no dwarf, you're a human woman. And a very pretty one at that."

"Let go of me!" Edlyn shouted defiantly as she fought to escape his grasp, but it was no use. The Goblin King tightened his grip, so hard it felt like he would rip her arm right out of its socket.

"Oh ho ho! And she's a fighter!" He said with an amused laugh.

All of his goblin minions laughed with him and he pulled Edlyn closer to his face till she could feel his putrid breath slithering down her neck.

"I like them when they fight." He purred. "Tell me, my pretty. What are you and your friends doing in these parts?"

Edlyn didn't answer, she just turned her head away in disgust when the Goblin King lifted his fat, greasy fingers to her face and started stroking her.

"STOP!"

Both Edlyn and the Goblin King turned and saw Fili furiously pushing his way to the front of the crowd, only to be stopped and held back by two or three goblins.

"Who dares speak out against me?" The Goblin King demanded.

"I do." Fili said, glaring up at him. "You get your slimy paws off of her, you wretch!" The other dwarves all joined in, shouting at him to release her.

"And why should I?" The Goblin King asked.

Fili didn't answer and it didn't take the Goblin King long to figure it all out. A look of realization crossed his face as he looked back and forth between Edlyn and Fili, noticing how their eyes remained locked with one another.

"Aw, isn't that sweet." He said mockingly. "A dwarf, willing to fight for the woman he loves. How positively romantic. It makes me all tingly with emotion!"

The sarcasm in his voice reached a high pitch and the other goblins all laughed at his mockery. Edlyn let out a gasp when the Goblin King suddenly twisted her arm back behind her, forcing her to stand in front of him.

"Tell me something, dwarf." He said to Fili. "How far are you willing to go for this beauty?"

He reached his other hand up and ran it through Edlyn's hair, pushing it back behind her ear. The feeling of it made her want to throw up.

"If you so much as scratch her, I'll rip you apart!" Fili snarled.

Edlyn frowned. She always knew that Fili was very protective of those he cared about, but she had never seen THAT side of him before. It was a surprise to her, and oddly, she liked it. Although, she had to admit, now was the weirdest time for her to suddenly be turned on by him.

The Goblin King laughed at Fili's outburst. "Your devotion to the lady is truly touching, master dwarf. Unfortunately, it is all lost on me." Then he looked down at the young healer. "And since you and your friends will not talk, we'll make you squawk! Bring out the Mangler!" He shouted. "Bring out the Bone-Breaker! Ladies first, of course."

With that, he threw Edlyn to the ground with a laugh and the other goblins that had brought her forward before grabbed her and held her down. Fili fought against the goblins that were holding him and one of them accidentally place their hand on the arrow wound on Fili's abdomen, causing him to grit his teeth in pain. The other dwarves started shouting curses at the Goblin King. But one all too familiar voice rang out above the rest.

"Wait!"

Everyone looked and saw Thorin step forward. He made eye contact with Fili who gave him a pleading look, as if to say 'help her, uncle'. Thorin gave him a nod, and then he looked at Edlyn for moment before turning to face the Goblin King.

"Well well well! Look who it is!" The Goblin King said. "Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror; King under the Mountain." He gave a mocking bow. "Oh, but I'm forgetting, you don't have a mountain. And you're not a king, which makes you nobody, really." Thorin glared up at the Goblin King, who smiled. "I know someone who would pay a pretty price for your head. Just a head, nothing attached. Perhaps you know of whom I speak, an old enemy of yours; a Pale Orc astride a White Warg."

"Azog the Defiler was destroyed." Thorin said, looking at the massive goblin in surprise and disbelief. "He was slain in battle long ago."

" _That's what I thought."_ Edlyn said to herself. However, what the Goblin King said next sent shivers up her spine.

"So you think his defiling days are over, do you?" He said with a devilish laugh. Then he turned to a tiny goblin sitting in a basket and was carrying a slate. "Send word to the Pale Orc; tell him I have found his prize."

Then the tiny goblin pulled a lever, sending his basket sliding down a system of pulleys and ropes into the darkness.

* * *

Some time later, dozens of goblins were bringing massive instruments of torture in to the throne room while the Goblin King's loud, screeching voice rang out as he sang about how he was going to torture the entire company. They were all being held by their goblin captors as some of the other goblins inspected their weapons.

Just then, one of the goblins unsheathed Orcrist and as soon as he saw the blade he let out a shriek of horror and threw it to the ground. All the other goblins, including the Goblin King, saw the sword as well and they all recoiled in horror at the sight of it.

"I know that sword!" The Goblin King shouted. "It is the Goblin-Cleaver! The Biter! The blade that sliced a thousand necks! Slash them! Beat them! Kill them! Kill them all! Cut off his head!"

As he shouted, the goblins all started whipping and beating their prisoners, with claws and gnashing teeth. Edlyn was knocked to the ground and Fili was automatically torn between helping her and helping his uncle, who was in much greater peril as the goblins pinned him down and one of them drew his knife and prepared to cut his head off, causing the young healer to cry out.

"NO!"

* * *

 **A/N: It doesn't matter how many times I write, rewrite or reread this chapter, that bit with the Goblin King always leaves me feeling like I need to take at least twenty showers (shudders). I still haven't cleaned myself off enough from the first time I wrote this story two years ago. So yeah, sorry about exposing you guys to this.**

 **And yes, Azog will be in my story. This is primarily movie-verse, after all.**

 **The song "Down in Goblin Town" belongs to Tolkien, as revised by Howard Shore for the film. I got the lyrics off of TheOneRing website so the poor English involved in it is deliberate.**


	22. Book I CH 22: Chases and Escapes

**~Chases & Escapes~  
**

"Thorin! No!" Edlyn screamed in terror.

Thorin looked at her for a moment, seemingly surprised to hear her calling his name. But his attention was quickly reverted back to the goblin that was holding a knife to his throat, ready to take his head off.

Edlyn tried to get up and run to his aid, along with everyone else. But she was barely off the ground when suddenly she was grabbed from behind, and right away she recognized the foul stench of the Goblin King as he pulled her close to his disgusting, bloated body. She turned and glared up at him as she struggled to escape his hold, but to no avail.

"On second thought, I think I'll keep you for myself." He said. His hold on her got tighter and an instant wave of panic swept over her.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, there was a massive explosion of bright light followed by a huge shock wave that ripped through the throne room. Edlyn was knocked to the ground along with everyone else and luckily landed within inches of where the Goblin King fell. She laid there for a moment, stunned.

Her ears were ringing from the shock wave and for a minute, she thought she had gone deaf. Her insides were rattling and her entire body felt like it had been trampled by a mûmak (oliphaunt). Very slowly, everyone got up and looked over to where the explosion had originated from and although her vision was blurry, Edlyn were still able to make out the all too familiar silhouette of Gandalf as he gradually came into view.

"Take up arms. Fight. Fight!" He shouted.

Well, he certainly didn't have to tell them twice. Before Edlyn's body even had time to completely recover from the shock wave, she got up and ran towards the pile of weapons that lay some ways off, tackling a couple goblins to the ground in the process. Gandalf started hacking and stabbing goblins as they tried to attack him and the Goblin King caught sight of his sword, Glamdring.

"He wields the Foe-Hammer, the Beater, bright as daylight!" The Goblin King shouted.

Edlyn ran to the pile of weapons and started digging around for her sword. She grabbed Gloin's axe and tossed it to him, but not before taking a goblin's head off with it right when he tried to attack her from behind. She turned when she heard someone shout her name and saw Dwalin toss her sword to her, which she caught miraculously.

She also took the time to grab a couple of knives that were lying right in front of her. They were Fili's knives, the ones that he had lent to her a bit earlier in the journey, just a couple out of the several that he owned. She then started slicing and stabbing every goblin she came in contact with, and she did so with much ferocity.

She mainly had to fight left handed since her right hand was injured, which was awkward and strange. After awhile, she gave up and switched hands, trying to ignore the pain as she fought. The Goblin King got up and tried to attack Nori, but his blow was deflected by Thorin and the force of it caused the giant goblin to stumble backwards and fall off the edge of the platform to the depths below.

 _"Good riddance!"_ Edlyn thought to herself when she saw him fall.

"Follow me. Quick. Run!" Gandalf shouted.

The company did what he said and followed him, cutting down goblins as they went. They started running down the suspended passageways while hundreds of goblins chased after them. Gandalf yelled for everyone to run faster and they looked ahead and saw a horde of goblins running towards them from the front.

"Post!" Dwalin shouted.

He and some of the other dwarves cut a guard rail post from the side of the path as used it to knock several goblins over the sides. It was all chaos after that. Edlyn was blindly slicing at goblins and pushing as many over the edge as she could. At one point, the company was running across a ladder that was being used to bridge a gap on the platform, after which Dwalin destroyed to prevent the goblins from crossing it.

"Quickly!" Gandalf shouted.

Everyone enthusiastically obeyed. They ran until they made it to a section of platform that was suspended by ropes. Some of the dwarves started slicing the ropes, causing the platform to swing and the company to jump to the other side. They kept on running, cutting down any goblin that got in their way.

Gandalf used his staff to break a large piece of rock off the ceiling, causing it to roll down the path in front of them, squashing every goblin that was unfortunate enough to be standing in the way. They ran until they made it to a bridge. Just as they were about to cross it, the Goblin King himself suddenly broke through from underneath the bridge and pulled himself up onto it, glaring down at them all once he did.

"You thought you could escape me?" He shouted as he swung his mace at Gandalf, which thankfully he was able to dodge. "What are you going to do now, wizard?" He taunted.

Of course, Gandalf had a quick comeback. Without a word, the wizard leapt forward and jabbed his staff into the Goblin King's eye, causing him to cry out in pain. Then Gandalf sliced him across his massive belly and he fell to his knees clutching his wound before looking up at Gandalf for a moment.

"That'll do it."

Those were the last words he said before Gandalf sliced his throat and he fell down dead. The company would have cheered at his demise; however they didn't get the chance because they immediately saw that the weight of the Goblin King's body was too much for the bridge. It started to shake and rattle.

Then suddenly, that section of the bridge, the section that the company was standing on, broke away from the rest of it and started sliding down the sides of the cavern at a tremendous speed, destroying everything in its path.

Edlyn immediately fell to the ground and clung onto the bridge with all her might, screaming in terror the whole way down. Fili had his arms around her the entire time, using himself as a shield to protect her from harm since he had made a point to stay as close to her as he could after Gandalf had arrived. The bridge continued to slide, taking the company with it.

However, it began to slow down until it came to a slow though not-all-too graceful stop at the bottom, breaking into pieces at the impact. Edlyn stayed where she was for moment, trying to recover from the rush of terror she had just experienced. Her heart was still pounding hard and she couldn't breathe right. Of course, she wasn't sure if her loss of breath was caused by the whole terrifying ordeal or the fact that Fili still had his arms around her, holding her tight; both, most likely. She managed to pull herself out of his grasp, informing him that she was alright.

"Well, that could have been worse." Bofur said.

Apparently, he spoke WAY too soon, because literally a second later, the lifeless corpse of the Goblin King came crashing down on top of the wreckage, almost crushing everyone underneath it. Edlyn let out a cry of pain and frustration. Oh great! Now the Goblin King was on top of her! That's exactly what she was trying to avoid!

"Oh, come on!" She shouted.

"You've got to be joking!" Dwalin shouted as well. Everyone struggled to climb out from under the Goblin King's corpse.

"Gandalf!" Kili shouted. They looked up and saw a whole swarm of goblins running towards them.

"There are too many!" Dwalin shouted. "We can't fight them!"

"Only one thing can save us: daylight!" Gandalf said. "Come on! Here, on your feet!"

Edlyn didn't even hesitate to get up and start running. She didn't even think. She just followed the wizard as he led the company away from the goblins and towards the exit, to freedom.

* * *

The sunlight practically blinded the young healer, causing her to trip a bit as her and the others ran out into the open and down the mountain slope. She kept running until the company came to a stop. She immediately fell down next to a tree, gasping for breath and seeking relief for her aching muscles. Of course, it didn't take long for Fili to find his way to her side, looking over her with concern in his eyes.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"I'm fine." She said. "However, after being manhandled by the Goblin King, I do feel like I seriously need to bathe."

She shuddered as she said that and Fili smiled at her usual humor. Then, without hesitation, he placed his hands on her cheeks and kissed her, which she willingly returned. Just then, they heard someone clear their throat and the two of them looked up and saw Gandalf looking down at them with a smile on his face.

"Well, Edlyn." He said. "It appears as though I must have missed something while I was away." He gave them a wink and both Edlyn and Fili smiled.

"It's a long story, Gandalf." Edlyn said as she stood up. "I'll tell you later."

The wizard nodded then started to do a head count. He stopped when he got to the end and noticed that one member of the company was missing.

"Where's Bilbo? Where's our hobbit?" He asked. "Where's our hobbit!?" Everyone looked around and saw that Bilbo was nowhere to be found.

"Curse the halfling! Now he's lost?!" Dwalin shouted.

"I thought he was with Dori." Gloin said.

"Don't blame me!" Dori said defensively.

"Well, where did you last see him?" Gandalf asked desperately.

"I think I saw him slip away, when they first collared us." Nori said.

"What happened exactly? Tell me!" Gandalf demanded.

"I'll tell you what happened." Thorin said bitterly. "Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it! He's thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth since first he stepped out his door! We will not be seeing our hobbit again. He is long gone."

He turned and made brief eye contact with Edlyn and there was a knowing look in his eye. She frowned. Why was he looking at her like that? Did he know? Was he also listening to what Bilbo had said to Bofur before? Did he know that it was partly her fault that the hobbit had left? It seemed that way.

She lowered her eyes and looked at the ground. Her chest tightened with guilt. It was her fault; it was her fault that Bilbo left. Yes, Thorin's harsh words and lack of faith did play a part, but maybe Bilbo would have stayed if she had kept her promise. Maybe if she hadn't been so caught up with what was happening to her and had paid attention to him, he'd still be here. Now he was out there, alone. She had failed him, even if she hadn't done it on purpose, she had still failed him. Now, she didn't know if she would ever see the halfling again.

"No, he isn't."

Edlyn's head shot up when she heard that familiar voice and turned to see Bilbo standing there, alive and in one piece. Everyone else all turned and looked at Bilbo in surprise to see him there.

"Bilbo Baggins!" Gandalf said, laughing. "I have never been so glad to see anyone in my life!"

"Bilbo, we'd given you up!" Kili said.

"How on Earth did you get past the goblins?!" Fili asked.

"How, indeed." Dwalin said. There was an awkward silence as everyone looked at Bilbo expectantly. Bilbo didn't answer; he just laughed nervously and put his hands in his pockets.

"Well, what does it matter? He's back!" Gandalf said.

Edlyn looked at the wizard and saw that he looked a bit uneasy. Obviously, he knew something that they didn't know, not that he would ever tell them, of course; because that's how he is.

"It matters!" Thorin said. He turned to Bilbo. "I want to know: why _did_ you come back?"

Bilbo looked at Thorin for a moment. "Look, I know you doubt me, I know you always have. And you're right, I often think of Bag-End. I miss my books, and my armchair, and my garden. See, that's where I belong. That's home. And that's why I came back, because you don't have one, a home. It was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can."

There was a silence after that as all the dwarves pondered what Bilbo had just said. Edlyn looked at Bilbo curiously, trying to figure out this surprising creature.

"And besides..." Bilbo said, suddenly turning and looking directly at her, although talking to everyone. "...I made a promise to a fellow misfit that I would stick with her through thick and thin. And I fully intend to keep that promise."

Edlyn stared at Bilbo in disbelief and wonder. He smiled at her and gave her a wink, and she couldn't stop the grin that formed on her face. She always knew there was a reason why she liked this hobbit! Everyone else, except Bofur and Thorin, looked at them curiously. Fili and Kili gave Edlyn questioning looks and she just waved them off, mouthing the word 'later' thus informing them that it was a story for a different time. Just then, the silence was broken by the bone chilling howl of a Warg that sounded close. They were all alert when they heard it.

"Out of the frying pan..." Thorin said.

"...and into the fire!" Gandalf finished. "Run! RUN!"

* * *

 **A/N** **:** I apologize for the somewhat dirty joke about the Goblin King being on top. *hides in shame*


	23. Book I CH 23: Don't Let Go!

**~ Don't Let Go! ~  
**

Wargs! Again! Why does this keep on happening?!

Of course, the company didn't hesitate to obey Gandalf's orders to run. They started running down the mountain as fast as they could. Edlyn looked back only once and found, to her utter terror, that some of the Wargs were right on top of them. One of them was right on her heels, snapping at her, ready to rip her apart.

Suddenly, she lost her footing and tripped, tumbling along the ground. The Warg that was chasing her tripped over her and started tumbling with her. Edlyn stopped tumbling but the Warg kept going. Eventually, it stopped tumbling about ten feet from her.

Very slowly, it got itself up, shook itself off and turned to her with its teeth bared. Edlyn drew her sword just as the Warg charged at her. In one swift movement, she sliced it across the face, causing it to yelp and collapse to the ground. As soon as it was down, she sank her sword into it, killing it.

"Up into the trees, all of you!" Gandalf shouted. "Come on, climb! Bilbo climb!"

Everyone did as he said. Thankfully, Edlyn had climbed more than her fair share of trees growing up, otherwise she wouldn't have had the strength or experience to complete the task. It was one of those times when she was thankful that she was far more adventurous as a little girl than her parents would have liked.

Without even thinking, she hoisted herself up onto the lowest branch of the first tree she encountered. She started climbing, only pausing once to turn and extend her hand to Kili and pull him up after her. He, in turn, extended his hand to Fili and helped him up as well.

The three of them, and a few others, started climbing up as high as they could go since the rest of the company had found refuge in the branches of other trees. They held on to the branches as tight as they could, trying to keep their balance as the Wargs started circling the base of the trees that the company was perched in.

Suddenly, the Wargs fell silent and turned. Edlyn looked up and the sight that met her eyes struck terror into her heart. Standing atop a rock, sitting astride a white Warg was a massive orc with pale skin and scars all over his body. Edlyn took a guess who he was, but she prayed more than anything that she was wrong. Unfortunately, the word that came out of Thorin's mouth next confirmed her unspoken fear.

"Azog?!" The dwarf king exclaimed in shock.

Azog started sniffing the air. _**"Do you smell it?"**_ He said in Black Speech. _ **"The scent of fear. I remember your father reeked of it, Thorin, son of Thrain."**_

Edlyn did not understand what he had said, but apparently Thorin did, and a look of grief and pain crossed his face.

"It cannot be." He said.

 _ **"That one is mine."**_ Azog said, pointing to Thorin. _**"Kill the others!"**_

With that, the Wargs charged and started leaping up and trying to climb the trees. The whole time, Azog was shouting stuff in Black Speech that Edlyn did not understand, nor cared to. The ferocity of the Wargs' assault caused the trees to shake and sway, and she held on tighter than before.

However, it didn't matter how hard she held on because the weight of the Wargs assaulting the tree caused it to uproot and fall back into the tree behind it. Edlyn let out a yell as she and everyone else in the tree leapt into the branches of the other tree. However, that tree was also uprooted and, like dominoes, started to fall into the trees behind them.

Everyone kept leaping from tree to tree until finally they were all hanging onto the branches of the last tree, which thankfully didn't fall over. However, Edlyn tried not to look down since that tree was sitting right on the edge of the cliff. She pulled herself up onto the branch she was hanging onto until she was standing on it.

Suddenly, she saw something small and seemingly made of fire fly down over her head and hit the ground in front of the Wargs, causing them to flee in fright at the sight of the flame. She looked up to see what that was and where it had come from and saw Gandalf was using his staff to light pine cones on fire. He threw a few down to the other members of the company, who, in turn, threw the flaming pine cones at the Wargs.

Edlyn grabbed a nearby pine cone and used Fili's already lighted one to light hers, taking much care to keep the flame away from her injured hand. She then chucked the pine cone with all her might at the Wargs, and it hit one of them in the head, lighting its fur on fire.

It was quite a sight seeing that Warg with its head all aflame, running in circles, yelping and howling in pain, a sound that was both horrifying and satisfying at the same time. Edlyn and the others all cheered when the Wargs started running away in fear and pain. However, their celebration was cut short when the tree that they were in was uprooted and fell over until it was hanging horizontally over the edge of cliff, held down by only a few roots while everyone clung onto it for their lives.

Edlyn was holding onto a branch by only her arms with her legs dangling, the branch itself looking like it would break at any moment. She struggled to hold on and tried to hoist herself up, which she miraculously managed to do. However, she looked over and saw that a couple of the dwarves had lost their grip and almost fell but had thankfully managed to catch Gandalf's staff and hold onto it. She let out a breath of relief, but it was short lived when she turned and saw Thorin descending down the tree with his sword drawn as he charged at Azog. Was he bloody mad?! Yes, he was!

All Edlyn could do was watch in horror as Thorin was quickly knocked down by Azog as he and his Warg leapt at him. Before Thorin even had a chance to get back up, Azog charged at him again and smashed him across the face with his mace, knocking him violently to the ground. Every dwarf there shouted Thorin's name.

Edlyn couldn't take it anymore! She had to help him somehow! She attempted to pull herself up farther on the branch, but her efforts quickly backfired for the branch that she was on started to break.

Her heart jumped when the branch broke a bit more and she lost her balance, thankfully catching the branch with her arms, her legs dangling. She looked up momentarily and saw Thorin clamped in the jaws of the white Warg, screaming in pain. She tried to pull herself up again but it proved futile when the branch broke some more, causing her heart to almost stop.

"Fili!"

It was almost automatic; she called out his name. She didn't know why she did. She didn't know if he could help her, he most likely had problems of his own. Edlyn struggled to hold on. Finally, the branch broke, and she lost her grip.

However, the heart-stopping fall only lasted a second when suddenly, someone caught her. When she finally recovered, she looked up and saw that it was Fili. He had heard her scream his name and he quickly dove for her right when the branch broke.

A smile broke out on Edlyn's face as relief flooded her body. But, the relief was quickly replaced with agony, for Fili had caught her by her right hand, her injured hand. Immediately, she felt a sharp, excruciating pain shoot through her entire arm as Fili's grip on her got tighter, and not even the massive adrenaline rush she was experiencing could numb it.

Edlyn and Fili struggled to hold onto each other. The task proved very difficult since, after all, she was a human and he was a dwarf, so she was slightly heavier than him. And although he was a strong young dwarf, it was still difficult, for she was hanging on only by his hand. She would have reached up and grabbed his other hand, but then he would have had to let go of the branch he was holding onto and that, in turn, would have caused him to fall, which was the last thing she wanted to happen.

On top of that, she could see that Fili was in pain because he was straining himself trying to hold onto her, which was causing severe irritation to the arrow wound on his abdomen. Tears were streaming down Edlyn's face as the pain in her hand got worse, causing her entire arm to start to go numb. She tried to use her free hand to reach for the nearest tree branch, but it was too far away. She then looked over and saw Thorin lying unconscious on the ground with Bilbo standing in between him and Azog with his sword brandished.

Suddenly, in the midst of the chaos and pain, Edlyn's mind was cleared, and she saw the hopelessness of the situation. Fili would not be able to hold onto her long. If he did, he would fall too, and the last thing she wanted was for him to die as well. That's when she knew, it had to be her. If either of them were going to fall, it had to be her. She had to let go, she had to let go to save him, to save the others. That's how it had to be.

Edlyn looked up at Fili and her eyes met his, her intention painted clearly on her face. Fili's eyes widened with fear when he realized what she was about to do.

"No, Edlyn, don't! Don't let go! Don't you dare let go!" He said.

"I'm too heavy for you, Fili!" Edlyn said. "You won't be able to pull me up!"

"Yes I can!" He shouted defiantly. "I'll find a way!"

"Fili, you have no choice! You have to let me go!"

"Are you mad!? I'm not letting go!" He said through gritted teeth. "I just found you! I'm not losing you, not like this! I promised you I wouldn't let you fall!"

"That's a promise you can't keep, Fili! And you know it!"

"I'm not letting go!"

"Fili, there's no time!" Edlyn breathed out. "You have to go help Thorin! He needs you! You can't save me, I'm beyond help!" Her hand slipped slightly in his grasped and he kept trying to hold on.

"No!" He shouted.

"Fili, if you don't let go, we're both going to fall!"

"I don't care!" Fili shouted, his voice cracking. "I'd rather die with you than live without you!"

"Fili, don't be a fool!"

Edlyn's hand slipped a little bit more and Fili gritted his teeth trying to hold on. He turned and looked to where Thorin was then looked back at her. Suddenly, the defiant look on his face dissolved as realization hit him, and she saw that he finally understood the painful truth; whether it was by her will or the will of Fate, she was going to fall, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"Edlyn, please, don't do this to me!"

The fear, the desperation, the hopelessness, the sorrow; she could see it in his eyes; she could hear it in his voice. He was pleading with her, begging her not to let go. Begging her not to give up; begging her...not to leave him like this. It tore Edlyn apart to see him this way. She didn't want to let go, for she knew the devastation it would cause him if she were to die. But this was the only way and they both knew it.

A sad smile crossed Edlyn's face, thus showing that the decision was final. "I love you, Fili, and don't you ever doubt that."

"NO!" Fili screamed as her hand slipped from his completely and she fell, plunging down into the endless dark.


	24. Book I CH 24: A Twist of Fate

**~A Twist of Fate~**

"Where is Edlyn!? Where is she!?" Fili shouted desperately as he and the company stood atop the Carrock.

* * *

Thorin had been badly wounded in his fight with Azog. Fili, Kili and Dwalin had come to his aid, but the fight seemed hopeless. Then, hope arrived on swift wing when the eagles swooped in. They battled the orcs, killing most and driving away the rest before rescuing the company and carrying them off away from danger. They flew through the night and into the morning until they dropped them off on the top of the Carrock. However, Thorin was still badly hurt and Gandalf had to use his magic to heal him.

Upon waking, Thorin then embraced Bilbo and thanked him for saving his life, thus accepting the hobbit. Then turning their heads to the East, they all saw in the distance their destination, their home, Erebor. A thrush flew over head, a good omen of the journey before them. It appeared as though the worst had past. All seemed well, until Fili became fully and completely aware that Edlyn was nowhere to be found.

"Where is Edlyn!?" Fili said. "She's not here!"

Upon hearing Fili's words, the rest of the company all looked around and saw that the young dwarf was right; their human companion most definitely was not among them. They all started looking in every which way, wondering how they could have missed her absence, since she was one of the tallest members in the company. It seemed that they were too worried about Thorin to have noticed.

"We have to find her! She has to be here somewhere!" Fili said.

"When did you last see her, lad?" Dwalin asked.

With a shaky voice, Fili told them what had happened; how Edlyn had slipped from his grasp and fell. He wasn't looking at them when he said it; his eyes were turned to the West, expecting one of the eagles to show up with her on its back. But no such occurrence took place. Suddenly, Fili became aware that the rest of the company had fallen silent. He turned around and saw them all looking at him with sorrowful looks on their faces.

"What?" Fili asked. Yet somehow, he knew exactly what they were about to say.

"I-I don't think she made it, lad." Balin said.

Fili's throat tightened. "No! She's not dead!" Of course he didn't believe it. Why would he?

"Fili, if what you said is true, than she fell _before_ the eagles arrived." Thorin said grimly. "It looks like they weren't able to make it in time to save her."

"She's not dead!" Fili said, the defiance in his voice getting sharper.

Then, before anyone could stop him, he turned and started running down the stone steps that led from the top of the Carrock to the river below, stumbling a bit on the way down.

"Fili!" Thorin shouted after him.

But Fili didn't respond to his uncle's call, for he was long out of earshot, looking around and calling Edlyn's name as he darted down the steps. He made it to the bottom and kept searching, but still saw no sign of her, and with every passing moment of this, what hope he had faded a little bit more. But he still refused to believe that she was gone. He turned and saw the company, who had followed him down.

"She has to be here." Fili said.

"She's not here, Fee." Kili said sadly.

Fili looked at his brother in disbelief. How could he just accept this? "Yes, she is!" Fili said, his voice getting shakier. "She has to be!"

"Fili." Thorin said, stepping forward. "If the eagles had saved her then she would be here with us. But she's not."

"Then those stupid eagles must have left her behind somehow." Fili said, although deep down he knew that that was impossible.

"Fili, it's no use." Thorin said, placing his hand on his nephew's shoulder, which seemed heavier than usual. "She's gone. I know you know it, so please don't waste your days dwelling on false hope."

Fili gazed at his uncle with a frown and shrugged his hand off his shoulder. Then, he walked past him and right up to Gandalf.

"Gandalf, Edlyn's still alive, you know she is. You must feel it, somehow." The young dwarf said.

Gandalf didn't answer.

"Gandalf?" Fili said, his face falling slightly.

Still, the wizard did not answer. All he did was gaze down at the young dwarf with a somber look on his face, then he turned his head away.

"Gandalf!?" Fili said, his face dissolving into a look of distress.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder and upon turning saw his brother standing there with a sad look in his eyes.

"Fee, I don't want to believe it either, but it can't be denied anymore. She's gone; Edlyn is gone. There is nothing we can do about it now. Please, don't do this to yourself."

Fili said nothing, he just stared at his brother with a blank stare, and then he looked down at the ground. Moment by moment, the painful truth began to sink in. Thorin was right; if the eagles had saved Edlyn, she would have been there with them. And it was unlikely that they accidentally took her to the wrong place or the one that caught her had gotten lost. And he saw her fall himself; he didn't see her get saved. So, the only thing that made sense was that she didn't make it. She was gone, dead, lost to the world. It was over. She had fallen; the eagles were unable to save her. He would never see her again. He would never hear her laugh, see her smile or feel her arms around him again. She was dead; his love was dead.

No! That can't be true!

A small part of him still felt like there was a chance that she was still alive. But that part was quickly drowned by the other part, the part that said "no, she's gone." Suddenly, like a stampede of oliphaunts, the grief hit him. A hollow, sinking feeling formed in the pit of his chest and his head started to spin. Then, his legs gave out from underneath him and he fell to his knees, taking Kili by surprise.

"Whoa, Fili! Fili?" Kili said as he grabbed onto his brother in an attempt to steady him, only to be pulled down to his knees as well. "Fee?"

"She's really gone, isn't she?" Fili asked quietly, still staring at the ground.

The heartbreak in his voice was evident and it tore Kili apart. He didn't answer; he just looked up at his uncle, who turned away from his gaze to hide the grief in his own eyes. Kili looked at his brother with tears in his eyes and started rubbing his back to comfort him (not that it would do any good). Fili saw his brother's silence as confirmation to his question and he closed his eyes, hanging his head. However, he didn't cry like expected, which surprised everyone, especially himself. The shock of losing Edlyn must have been preventing him from doing so. He just knelt there in silence while everyone else stood around, quietly mourning for their lost friend. After a while, the silence was broken by Thorin.

"Come now, on your feet everyone. We cannot afford to linger."

Kili looked up at him. "Give him a moment! For pity's sake, uncle!"

"We don't have a moment, Kili." Thorin replied. "We have to get to Erebor before Durin's day. And we most likely have orcs on our tail as well." He paused and looked down at Fili, who looked up at him with a pain filled expression. "There will be a time to grieve for Edlyn, but it is not now. Now, we must continue on our quest." He paused again. "If Edlyn was still alive, she would have wanted us to keep moving."

"You have no idea what she would have wanted." Fili said darkly. The tone of his voice drew a frown out of everyone, especially his brother and uncle. There was another silence after that. This time, it was broken by Gandalf.

"Thorin is right; we must get moving. It won't be long before the orcs catch up to us."

Everyone agreed that it was a good idea and very slowly, they all started walking away from the Carrock towards the East. Kili helped Fili off the ground. But Fili pushed his hands away, sharply informing him that he didn't need help and wanted to walk alone. He walked past Thorin, making quick eye contact with him before walking away with his heart in pieces. Gandalf watched the scene sadly as he did a head count, counting only fourteen instead of the usual fifteen.

Then, as they all walked off, the wizard turned his eyes to the West, the direction from which they had come, and a small, knowing, almost hopeful smile crossed his lips. Because the reason why he didn't answer Fili before was because he didn't know what had happened to the young healer. Whether she was truly dead or not was unknown to him, because even wizards don't know everything. Shaking his head, he turned and followed the company towards the East.

But, what exactly _did_ happen to the young healer?

To know that, dear friends, we must take a step back. For that is a tale worth being told.

* * *

Edlyn's hand slipped from Fili's grasp, sending her plummeting down through the darkness, with Fili hopelessly yelling in defiance against her inevitable fate. A scream escaped her lips as the heart-stopping feeling of weightlessness caused her stomach to drop and her heart to almost stop beating. Everything was a blur; the darkness seemed to go on and on. She closed her eyes, preparing herself for whatever fate awaited her at the bottom.

She was probably only falling for a few moments, but it seemed like ages to her. Suddenly, her fall was cut short when, all of the sudden, she landed on something. She still had her eyes shut, but when she finally opened them, she was both shocked and relieved to find that she was alive!

Then, her attention turned to trying to figure out what had happened, and she found that whatever it was that she had landed on was alive, because it was moving. Actually, it was flying, as she figured out when she saw a giant pair of wings flapping on both sides of her. She then found out that whatever this creature was, it had feathers for she was clinging onto them with a vise like grip. Suddenly, the creature let out a loud screech and her heart leapt with excitement since she now knew what it was.

An eagle! She had been saved by an eagle!

The amount of joy that Edlyn felt was overwhelming, for she knew that where there was one eagle, there was most likely more. Her hope was confirmed when she looked up and saw the rest of her savior's feathered kin flying around the edge of the cliff where her friends were holding on by their fingers on the horizontally hanging tree.

She saw the eagles swoop down and grab several Wargs and their riders and throwing them to their death over the edge of the cliff. She knew the eagles had arrived to save the company and she finally felt like there was hope; hope for her, hope for the company and even hope for Thorin. All she could do was watch everything that was going down from astride the eagle she was riding. However, subconsciously, she couldn't help but notice that there was something unusual about the eagle she was flying on.

First, she noticed that this eagle was flying incredibly low, far below the cliff's top, to be exact. It was flying low, practically right above the trees, and seemingly out of sight of the other eagles, which was strange. Another thing, it wasn't flying in any particular direction. It was flying in circles above the trees, almost like it didn't know where it was going or was waiting for its kin tell it where they were planning on taking the company. She was also wondering how this eagle got to her so fast. However, she decided that it didn't matter; she was just so happy that it had saved her.

However, that joy quickly vanished when things took a turn for the worst.

Everything happened so fast! Before Edlyn knew what was going on, she heard a WHOOSH, and a CRACK, and the eagle she was on let out a cry before it suddenly started falling out of the sky, taking her with it.

For that eagle had been spotted by an orc archer, who was standing, out of sight, atop the cliff, far away from the confrontation between Azog and Thorin. Now, as to what he was doing so far away from the fight is unknown. Whether he was acting as a lookout, was scouting around, had gotten lost somehow or had run away out of cowardice was something that was known only to him. All that is known is that he was there, perched atop his big, black Warg when he had spotted the magnificent bird. As he watched it circling around down below, he realized that it had someone on its back.

A wicked smile flickered across his ugly face, for he saw this as the perfect opportunity to please his master, Azog. Without even waiting for an order, he readied his bow, nocked the arrow and in one smooth motion, he released it. It flew through the air and hit the eagle, piercing its wing. He let out a triumphant cheer knowing that he had hit his target when he saw the eagle lose control and start to fall, taking its precious cargo with it.

Edlyn let out a half gasp, half scream as she was falling once more, clinging onto the eagle as it fell with her. Thankfully, it had been flying pretty close to the ground so they didn't fall very far. But that didn't stop the impact of the landing from being a rough one.

The two of them fell into the trees below, crashing into one of them, receiving some cuts and bruises as they fell through the branches. Miraculously, Edlyn managed to catch a thick and, thankfully, very sturdy branch that was right in her path, hooking her arms around it as her feet dangled. The eagle, however, kept falling all the way down through the branches, landing on the ground with a thud; stunned but alive.

Edlyn, meanwhile, succeeded in hoisting herself onto the branch she was hanging on and pulled herself up into a standing position. She looked around.

" _Oh brilliant! I get out of one tree only to end up in another! Fantastic!_ " She thought to herself

However, her attention quickly went back to the other eagles, and she saw them still flying around the cliff, not only throwing Wargs over the edge but picking up different members of the company and carrying them off towards the East.

Panic began to set in when she realized that none of the eagles were turning around to come and retrieve her. Frantically, she started waving and shouting for them, but her voice was hoarse from all the screaming she had done in the last few minutes, so it didn't come out loud enough. None of the eagles noticed her, nor did they seem to notice that one of their own kin had been wounded. All Edlyn could do was watch the eagles fly off to the East and disappear into the night, leaving her behind.

 _"Oh no!"_ She thought to herself as the panic she felt before got more profound.

So many questions flooded her mind. Would the eagles come back for her? Did they hear her cries or the agonized cries of the eagle who had fallen with her? Was the company alright? Did they know that she was alive? What about Thorin, and Bilbo? Were they alright? How long would she remain separated from them, and Fili? Did the orcs know she was alive, and would they be coming after her? What about the eagle that had fallen with her, what was going to happen to it? What was she going to do? Would she survive?

Her mind was an endless maze of questions and she was lost in it, drowning in it, suffocated by it. But in the end all the questions that were racing through her mind boiled down to one very important question:

What, in the name of the Valar, was going to happen to her now?

* * *

~TO BE CONTINUED~

* * *

~ _Song of the Lonely Mountain_ by Neil Finn begins to play~

* * *

~Credits roll~

* * *

 **A/N** : There has been a slight change of plan. Rather than writing this as three separate stories, as you had been led to believe, I'm just going write it as one long story. That will probably make it be almost ninety chapters, still split up into three books. So you don't have to follow me to find out when the next book comes out; as long as you're following THIS story you will know when the next update comes.

Also, and I know you guys are going to hate me for leaving you with a cliffhanger; I'm going to be taking a little break from the story at this point. I have been shamefully neglecting this story over at Deviantart and my poor readers over there have been patiently waiting FOR ALMOST A YEAR for me to finally update again. So I'm going to be spending some time trying to get inspired and continue the story for them (which is already into the third book). When I get back, we will continue with this story. You guys are in for a wild ride, in case it wasn't obvious already.

See you soon!


	25. Book II CH 1: Into the Wild

**Disclaimer:** The Hobbit belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien and films belong to Peter Jackson. I do not own them. I just own the OCs and everything else in the narrative that you won't recognize.

* * *

 **Book II**

* * *

 **~Into the Wild~**

* * *

 _An unknown path now lies ahead_

 _A savage trail few mortals dare tread_

 _For what dangers await, one never knows_

 _Nor which direction the pathway goes_

 _Mustering courage, gathering strength_

 _The healer must venture forth at length_

 _Driven yet uncertain, facing the ire_

 _Into the Wild, into the fire!_

* * *

Hours…

Days...

Weeks…

Months…

Years, even…

Or maybe, it was only a few minutes. She did not know. It could have even been for an eternity that she sat there alone and she wouldn't have known. And for the moment, she didn't care. Time was a blur; everything was a blur. The world around her just seemed so unreal, like a dream. In fact, she hoped it was just a dream; a horrible dream. One that she could wake up from and find that everything was alright. But every time, that hope proved to be false and reality would rear its ugly head. The false hope that comforted her would be smashed to bits and she would have to face the terrifying truth.

She...was alone.

They had left her; they had left her behind. The eagles had taken her friends someplace far to the East, she did not know where, and had left her behind. She was alone; alone in the wild, with no way of knowing where they went or if they would come back for her. And not knowing was the most terrifying part.

* * *

Edlyn had not moved from that spot since the eagles had disappeared. She was still perched in that tree. Sitting rather than standing, just staring off into space, trying to make sense of what had happened. Trying to take in and understand the situation that she was in and how she was going to handle it. Occasionally, her eyes would turn towards the East, waiting and hoping that she would see an eagle coming to retrieve her. But that just proved to be another false hope for nothing would happen. She almost felt like crying, but she knew it would do no good. She reached up and clutched the moonstone necklace she always wore, which miraculously hadn't fallen off in all the excitement.

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, she came to her senses and snapped out of her trance. She realized that she was getting nowhere by just sitting there doing nothing and feeling sorry for herself. She would have to find them. She would have to travel east to Erebor on foot. Or at least until the eagles found her, if they ever did. She figured she had nothing to lose, so she made her final decision; she was going find them, if it was the last thing she did.

Just then, as she came to that conclusion, Edlyn suddenly remembered something! Something that she had forgotten! And now that she remembered it, she was suddenly filled with an immense amount of hope, wonder and even terror:

She was not completely alone. There was another who had been left behind; the one who had fallen out of the sky with her.

 _"The eagle!"_ She thought to herself.

She had forgotten about the eagle, the one who had saved her. All at once, her mind flashed back to the whole incident and she remembered what had happened. The eagle had been wounded! Immediately, she knew she had to go see if it was alright.

Without even thinking, Edlyn stood up on the branch and started making her way down to the ground. When she finally made it down, she started looking around. That was when she saw the magnificent creature, lying about ten feet from the tree. She froze as soon as she saw it, unsure as to whether it was wise to just approach it. She had never encountered one of the great eagles, so she did not know how tame they were. Very slowly, she walked towards it.

The eagle was lying on its stomach with its eyes closed and its wings splayed out. It wasn't moving. Edlyn wasn't close enough to see whether it was alive or not. Then, she saw it breathing and she knew it was just unconscious. She also was able to very clearly see the large, black feathered orc arrow that was sticking out of its wing. She knew that if that arrow stayed in for too long the wound could get infected or even damage the eagle farther. She had to get it out, but she wasn't sure how she was going to do that at the moment. She continued to walk towards the great beast very slowly. Then, she paused to take in the incredible sight of it.

Edlyn had never seen one of the great eagles up close before; she had just heard about them in stories. And now that she finally had, all she could do was just stand there, staring at it in awe as she fully beheld its magnificence. The beast was massive; its head was probably a little bigger than her torso. However, she figured that this one must have been a younger eagle because it wasn't as big as she would've expected one of the great eagles to be. But honestly, she didn't know. It was magnificent nonetheless, covered from head to foot in golden brown feathers. It was beautiful yet terrifying at the same time, and she found herself unable to look away from it.

Suddenly, the eagle opened its eyes! As soon as it saw her it leapt off the ground, letting out a loud, defensive screech like it was about to attack her! Edlyn frantically took several steps back and even hid behind the tree a bit. However, the eagle was barely standing up for a second before it let out another screech and fell forward onto the ground. Edlyn watched it in surprise as it turned its head and looked at the arrow in its wing, either just realizing or suddenly remembering that it had gotten wounded before. Gathering courage, the healer stepped out from behind the tree and very slowly started moving towards the eagle. It noticed her approaching it and screeched at her again. She raised her hands in an attempt to calm it down.

"It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you." She said as calmly as she could, although her heart was pounding. "I just want to help you." She was not sure if the eagle could understand her, but she hoped that if she spoke softly enough it would help the eagle relax and even trust her. "I'm a healer and I want to help take care of your wing. I want to take that nasty arrow out."

Edlyn pointed to the arrow and the eagle looked to where she was pointing. It seemed to understand what she was saying and it screeched angrily at her. Edlyn paused. She knew that it would not let her near it, let alone touch its wound. But she had to get that arrow out and bandage the wound as soon as possible. She stood there for a moment trying to figure out what she would do. She had to find some way to win the eagle's trust, but how? She got an idea, she wasn't sure if it would work, though. However, she really didn't have any other option at this point, so she went with it.

Having grown up in Rohan, Edlyn knew how to tame a horse and win its trust. To do that, one can not just approach it; they had to let the horse come to them. The best way to do that is rouse its curiosity, and that can be accomplished by pretending to ignore it. It will cause the horse to become curious and approach them to see what they're doing. Edlyn had done it many times before and it always worked. However, she wasn't sure if this eagle would respond the same way a horse would, especially since this was obviously no ordinary eagle. But again, what other choice did she have?

Very slowly, Edlyn turned her back and sat down on the ground, completely ignoring the eagle who watched her with curious eyes. She sat there, staring off in the opposite direction as if she was enjoying the view. She then decided to see what weapons she had with her. She pulled out her sword, which had been in its sheath and slung across her back. It was still in good shape and sharp, which was very good because Edlyn knew she'd need it. Then she remembered the knives that she had tucked into her belt. She pulled both of them out and looked at them. Thankfully, they were both still sharp. Her heart ached slightly, because they were Fili's knives. She was starting to miss him and she wondered if he was alright, or if all of them were alright. Taking a deep breath, Edlyn tucked both the knives back into her belt.

Suddenly, she felt something standing right behind her, looking over her shoulder. Edlyn smiled, not even turning around to look at the eagle, who was staring over her shoulder with much curiosity. Suddenly, it leaned down and placed its beak on her shoulder, making her jump. She looked at the eagle and it looked at her. Now that it was up close to her, she noticed that its eyes were smoky grey in color and not the usual gold that she would have expected. Edlyn shakily raised her hand and placed it on the eagle's beak, like she would when rubbing a horse's nose. The eagle didn't flinch; it was calm. Edlyn breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you going to let me take care of your wing now?" She asked.

The eagle simply blinked, which she took as a 'yes'. Very slowly, Edlyn got up and made her way to the eagle's wing. Her eyes kept darting back to the eagle, cautiously watching it for any signs of it turning on her. The eagle was also watching her with a vigilant eye just in case she did something. The healer ever-so-gently inspected the wound and found that the arrow had gone right through and was sticking out underneath. That meant that in order to get the arrow out, she would have to break it in half, which would cause pain to the eagle. But, it was the only way. She looked at the eagle, who was still watching her.

"You probably can't understand what I'm saying." She said to it. "But you're going to have to trust me on this one."

It just stared back at her. Edlyn pulled out one of Fili's knives and the eagle shifted, obviously unnerved at the sight of the blade.

"No, no. Don't worry. I told you I'm not going to hurt you." She said. _"Not on purpose, anyway."_ She thought. The eagle seemed to understand and stood still.

Edlyn kept looking up at it as she started cutting through the arrow a few inches above the wound. It was difficult so she only cut a little over halfway through. Then, she wrapped her hand around the arrow and, with a loud SNAP, she broke it in half.

As soon as she did, the eagle let out a shriek of pain and by reflex, jerked its wing, knocking Edlyn down onto her rear. When she came to her senses, she looked at the eagle and saw that it almost looked like it was trying to run away but was having trouble doing so. Its whole body was flailing as it tried to run but kept tripping on itself. Obviously, eagles don't really do much walking and aren't used to it. The eagle suddenly stopped moving several feet from her. It looked at her for a moment, and then suddenly, its entire demeanor changed from total defiance to complete vulnerability. It hung its head and let out a low noise that sounded like a whimper. Edlyn was still on the ground, seated on her rear, staring at the eagle in shock at its sudden change in behavior.

The young healer had grown up with tales of the great eagles, and she had always seen them as these powerful, proud, majestic creatures; great birds that had been created by the Valar as their messengers and ruled the skies, unable to be brought down by anyone or anything. But now, as she looked at the eagle in front of her, that was not the image that Edlyn saw. This eagle had its wing pierced by an arrow and couldn't fly. Therefore, it was outside its element, stranded in a world that was unknown to it. And suddenly, it no longer looked like the proud, majestic creature Edlyn had pictured. All of the sudden, it had turned into a helpless, vulnerable beast; weak, scared and even kind of pathetic looking.

The eagle kept its head hung low and immediately Edlyn felt sorry for it. She wanted to help it more than anything. She got up and walked over to it, holding her hand out to touch its forehead. When she did, the eagle leaned into her touch, which she knew was a sign of trust and submission; the eagle was giving itself over to her to take care of it as she would.

"I'll be gentle, I promise." She said softly.

The eagle didn't respond so Edlyn kept going. She started where she left off. She reached underneath the eagle's wing and very gently started to pull the arrow out. The eagle let out low whine of pain but remained completely still. After Edlyn had gotten the arrow out, she turned her attention to treating and cleaning the wound. That was when she remembered something else.

"Damn!" She said aloud, causing the eagle to look at her.

She had forgotten that she had no medical supplies with her. No medicine, no bandages, nothing! Those damned goblins had taken them from her, along with all her other supplies, which meant that she was going to have to improvise. She panicked for a split second then she got an idea.

"I'll be right back, don't move!" She told the eagle right before she turned and darted off into the woods.

She was in there for a few minutes, searching the ground frantically when she finally saw it!

"Yes!" She said with excitement as she knelt down in front of a large patch of the beautiful if somewhat common looking plant that was growing all over the ground. "Athelas!" She said, her heart leaping with joy. She looked up to the sky. "Thank you!" She said, praising and thanking the Valar for creating such a wonderful healing herb and, not only that, but making it so common and easily available.

Edlyn pulled out one of Fili's knives and started cutting and ripping the athelas by its roots, collecting a lot of it for good measure. She stuffed it all into a small pouch that was hanging on her belt, then leapt off the ground and ran back to the eagle. When she made it back, she was both relieved and surprised to find that the eagle had not moved at all but was waiting patiently for her.

"This will only hurt for a moment." She told it as she started breaking the leaves off of the athelas and very gently began applying them to the wound.

The eagle let out another whine but remained still, much to Edlyn's surprise. She wished that there was something she could do to make the healing go faster and hurt less. The elves probably had some sort of special ritual that they performed to enhance the healing properties of the herb. Master Redd most likely knew a few of them, but she didn't. This was all she could do right now. After she was done with the athelas, Edlyn put the rest of it back into the pouch. She then took off the vest she was wearing and, using one of the knives, she started tearing it up into strips, tying them together and creating her own makeshift bandage out of them, which she used to bind the wound.

"There, that should do it." She said when she was done. The eagle looked at its bandaged wing then placed its beak on Edlyn's shoulder again, as if to say 'thank you'. "You're welcome." She said.

Then she looked around. Now, it was just a matter of what she was going to do next.

"Well," Edlyn said, taking a step back and looking at the eagle, who stared down at her. "The only thing left for me to do is to head East. I have to find my friends. I would ask you to fly me to wherever your kin has taken them, however you can't fly with that wound."

The eagle tilted its head a bit. Edlyn still didn't know if it understood her or not. But at the moment, she had no one else to talk to.

"And since you are wounded, it only makes sense for you to come with me. I can't leave you here alone with that injury." She paused. "Now, we could just sit here and wait for your kin to come and retrieve us. However, I don't know how long that will take. And if you were shot by an orc archer, then it's most likely that orc archer knows we're here. He will tell his friends and they will come looking for corpses, even if they have to make corpses out of us themselves. And I do not want to wait around for that."

The eagle just stared at her.

"So, it's best if we start moving and keep moving." Edlyn continued. "Your kin will eventually find us." She turned and started heading towards the East. The eagle simply watched her. She turned and looked back at it.

"Unless you'd rather stay, of course." She said. Then she turned and continued East. She heard the sound of lumbering footsteps behind her and knew that the eagle was now following her.

She smiled and kept walking as her and the eagle headed East, into the Wild.

* * *

Azog stood atop the flaming cliff with the rest of the Wargs and their riders, screaming in rage after the eagles had cheated him of his prize.

 _ **"Master! Master!"**_ One of the riders said. _**"The flames are too much for the wolves! We must pull back!"**_

 _ **"Move out!"**_ Azog ordered.

The others willingly obeyed as Azog led them away from the burning trees. Once they were clear of the flames, Azog leapt off his steed, still screaming in rage as he took his anger out on the unfortunate orc who was standing within his reach, grabbing him by the throat. The orc let out a frightened squeak as Azog lifted him off the ground and, with a fierce strength, threw him ten feet into the crowd of terrified Warg riders.

 _ **"I WILL NOT BE CHEATED!"**_ Azog roared. _**"I WILL HAVE THORIN OAKENSHIELD'S HEAD IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO! AND WE WILL NOT**_ _**REST UNTIL HIS PELT IS HANGING ON MY WALL! DO YOU HEAR ME!?"**_

The other orcs all cowered at his fury. Even the ones who had rushed to help the orc that Azog had tossed. None of them spoke a word; they all just nodded their understanding. They all sat there, avoiding Azog as he fumed for the next hour or so. Suddenly, they all turned their heads when there came the sound of an approaching rider, who rode in on his big, black Warg and dismounted. It was none other than that orc archer, the one whose arrow had pierced the eagle's wing, sending it plummeting to the ground.

 _ **"Vragar! Where have you been hiding, you cowardly worm!?"**_ Azog demanded, still furious.

 _ **"I-I was just scouting around, Master."**_ Whimpered Vragar, for that was the orc archer's name.

 _ **"Is that so?"**_ Azog said, not believing his story. _**"Then why have you come back here?"**_

 _ **"I have done something very good, Master."**_ Vragar said. _**"Very good indeed, yes I did."**_

 _ **"Spit it out, you maggot!"**_ Azog yelled, causing Vragar to cower some more.

 _ **"I-I have brought one of them out of the sky, Master."**_ Vragar said. _**"One of the great birds; I brought it out of the sky with my arrow, I did.**_ _**And-and, better still, it had one of them on its back, yes it had. One of Oakenshield's company was on its back."**_

Vragar's confidence began to rise when a look of interest crossed Azog's face. Vragar walked over to the edge of the cliff and pointed down where the eagle had been flying.

 _ **"It was flying down there, it was."**_ Vragar said. _ **"And it had one of them on its back, it did. And I shot it! Yes, yes! I shot it and it fell! Both of**_ _**them fell! Right out of the sky!"**_ Vragar leapt up and down with joy.

 _ **"Was it Oakenshield? Was it Oakenshield that was on its back?"**_ Azog asked. Vragar stopped and shrugged, for he did not know. _**"If it**_ _**is not Oakenshield then I do not care."**_ Azog said.

 _ **"But Master, don't you think we should go and check just in case it is him?"**_ Vragar asked.

Azog glared down at the impish little orc. Then he reached down and petted him, making him flinch. _**"Smart idea, little one. I will leave that**_ _**responsibility to you. You can take some of your friends and find the ones that you shot out of the sky, while the rest of us will ride to**_ _**the East and hunt the others."**_ Vragar nodded in agreement. _**"Vragar, when you find your prey, you may do what you like with**_ _**them. But if it is Oakenshield, you will bring him to me. I want the pleasure of beheading him myself."**_

 _ **"Yes, Master."**_ Vragar said with a bow.

And with that, they parted ways. Vragar took some of the other Wargs and their riders to go and search for the eagle and its passenger while Azog and the rest all rode to the East to track down the company.

The hunt was on!

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey everyone! I'm back! Unfortunately I wasn't able to get much done over at DA but I am still working on it. However, I decided to return here and continue since I couldn't wait to share this adventure with you guys. I most likely will work on both stories simultaneously, Heaven permitting.

Anyway, the next book of the story commences and as you can see, there is already some fascinating stuff in the works. That being said, since we are in a new book, I just wanted to discuss some things and changes that will be taking place.

 **The Twist:** Clearly the twist at the end of the first book created a little unexpected turn in the tale. That being said, the first half of Book II will mainly focus on Edlyn's misadventures and her journey to be reunited with the company while every once in a while switching over to the company to see what they're doing. She will encounter several OCs of mine along the way while also encountering some canon characters as well.

 **The Structure:** As we continue with the next two books, the structure of the narrative will be altered a bit. At this point in writing the story I started to picture it more like a movie and therefore started to write it as such. That means there will a bit less of a focus on Edlyn's story and a bit more of a focus on other characters stories in addition to hers. There will be whole chapters that will focus on the point of views of other characters and their roles, some of which where Edlyn is never even seen or mentioned.

 **The Poems:** Obviously you noticed the poem at the beginning of the chapter. Well, there will now be a poem at the beginning of every chapter. I got the idea when I started writing the second Book over at Deviantart and was originally going to just be the one here as sort of an intro to the next Book. However, I got a little carried away and started making poems for EVERY chapter. The poems will be original (written by me) unless stated otherwise and unfortunately will only be present in Book II. Because coming up with and finding poems that matched up with the chapters was difficult and mentally exhausting so I kind of quit once I got to Book III.

 **The Music:** Like I said, I got a little carried away when writing this story originally and in addition to writing poems I also started picking music to go with certain scenes and situations. Remember, I started picturing this like a movie. Edlyn's theme is Peter Crowley's cover of Dreamcatcher by Taryn Harbridge.


	26. Book II CH 2: Faen, the Radiant One

**~Faen, the Radiant One~**

* * *

 _Down a treacherous path, across unknown terrain_  
 _The healer journeys through Danger's domain_  
 _With a strange new companion by her side_  
 _Together they roam, stride by stride_

* * *

How long had Edlyn and the eagle been walking?

She was not sure. It had to be close to two hours, maybe two and half or even three. She couldn't tell. She had pretty much lost track after the first hour. The only thing she knew at the time was that she was tired, hot, thirsty and hungry. And at this point, most likely lost. She hoped that was not the case. She had tried her best to remain heading towards the East. The sun always rises in the East, so that was the direction she went. However, after losing track of how long she was walking (and being tired, hungry and thirsty), Edlyn was having trouble knowing if she was heading in the right direction. Plus, at one point, she had gotten sidetracked when she had stopped to try and catch a couple of conies for her to eat. She did not succeed, so she gave up and kept going. But it had thrown her off a bit.

And the eagle wasn't much help either.

Whatever kind of relationship the young healer had with the great bird during that time was very one-sided. Edlyn did all the talking (since she had no one else to talk to). She chatted away with it out of boredom. But the eagle didn't say a word; Edlyn wondered if it could speak at all or even understand her. It didn't seem to and this created a communication barrier between them. She would try to tell it what she wanted it to do and even ask it if they were going in the right direction since it probably knew where to go. But it would just stare at her every time without saying a word or giving her any kind of clue or sign that it understood. This, in turn, frustrated Edlyn immensely. That, mixed with her tired and hungry state, left her in a pretty bad mood. So far, all the eagle managed to do was slow her down a bit since it wasn't used to walking on solid ground and kept tripping on itself. Thankfully, after walking for a long while, the eagle slowly got used to it and started tripping less often, which Edlyn was very happy about. However, she was still in a bad mood. But, no matter how badly she wanted to scream, she kept her frustration inside and pressed on.

Finally, she saw before her some relief! There was a stream running through the forested area in which they were traveling and it ran right across their path. As soon as she saw it, Edlyn didn't even hesitate to run to the edge of the bank, scooping up some water in both palms and practically burying her face in it, gulping down as much as she could. Her throat had become hot and parched since she hadn't had a drink since...she didn't even know when. Now, she greedily gulped the water down, letting the cool, sweet, wet relief slide down her throat, quenching the dry cavern. The eagle seemed to share in her enthusiasm as it pretty much plunged its beak into the running water and swallowed it in large gulps. Edlyn smiled at the sight.

 _"At least the two of us understand each other that much."_ She thought to herself. When she had finished, she suddenly realized just how tired she really was.

"I'll just rest for a minute." She said aloud, half to herself and half to the eagle. She sat down against a tree and decided to check her own injury and see how it was doing. She unwrapped the bandage that was around her hand and was surprised to find that the wound almost completely healed.

"Whoa!" She said in surprise. "How is that possible?" She looked up at the eagle who just stared at her silently, like always. "I only got this injury about a day ago; there is no way that it could heal that fast. Either that antiseptic that Master Redd gave me was a lot stronger than he let on, or he mixed something else into it to enhance its healing properties."

Edlyn shrugged. She didn't really care about that at the moment; she was just thankful that it was healed and that it didn't hurt anymore. She placed the unneeded bandage on the ground, leaned against the tree and closed her eyes to rest, just for a little while. The eagle sat there and watched her.

* * *

It felt to Edlyn like she only had her eyes closed for a few seconds. She was kind of in a half awake/half asleep state and it was bliss. Suddenly, she felt something hard pressing against her face. She opened her eyes and jumped slightly when she found the eagle only inches from her face, nudging her to try and wake her. Up close, Edlyn suddenly noticed that this eagle had a large scar that started right above its right eye and traveled down across its face until it stopped right at the lip on the left side. Strange; she never noticed it before. She stared blankly at the great bird, still recovering from having been pulled abruptly out of her short state of nirvana. Very slowly, she started to return to the real world and immediately, a heavy wave of panic swept over her.

Edlyn jumped up and looked at the sky. The sun was low, but she was not sure if it was still rising or was now setting. She had no idea how long she was out for. She started to feel flustered, panicky and even scared. She suddenly did not know which direction was East or West. She was hungry, frightened and now, she knew she was lost. And despite the eagle's presence, she felt like she was alone. She missed her friends, she missed the company, but more than anything, she missed Fili! She didn't know where he and the others were, and with that, had no idea where she was going. Now, she was usually not one to give up so easily. But now, she felt like she was trapped in a pit with no way to get out. And the eagle certainly wasn't being that much help either.

Finally, all the anger and frustration the young healer had kept bottled up inside her that whole time found its way out. She picked up a rock and with an angry yell, she chucked it across the stream to the other shore. The eagle looked at her with a curious tilt of the head at her outburst, but she didn't really notice.

"Well, this is just great!" She said angrily. "Now we ARE lost! I have no idea what time of day it is or how long we've been walking or which way is East! Hell, I don't even know where I'm supposed to go! I have no idea where my friends are or how far ahead of me they are! And you.." She said, turning to the eagle. "...are no help at all!"

Deep down, Edlyn knew it wasn't the eagle's fault, but she couldn't help feeling angry at it.

"I wish you could speak to me!" She said. "But I don't think you can! You can't even fly! Look at you! You were such a magnificent beast but now you're nothing but a big, worthless ball of feathers; useless in every way!"

Edlyn stopped suddenly. Her outburst had taken a lot out of her and she felt dizzy and worn out. Turning her back to the eagle, she squatted down on the ground and placed her hand over her face.

"I just wish I knew where my friends are." She said quietly. There was a silence after that.

"They have been taken to the Carrock."

Edlyn jumped to her feet as soon as she heard that unknown voice. It took her off guard so she couldn't figure out which direction it came from at first. Her hand flew to the hilt of her sword and her eyes quickly scanned the shore on the other side of the stream, trying to find who it was that had spoken.

The voice, as she could easily tell, was female, and it sounded close.

"Who's there!? Who said that!?" The healer demanded.

"I said that."

This time, Edlyn knew the voice had come from behind her. She turned around and came face to face with her new traveling companion. For a moment, she stared up at the giant eagle in disbelief. No, it couldn't be.

"Did-did you just speak to me?" She asked.

The eagle tilted her head. "If you mean did I just speak to you in the Common Tongue then yes, I did."

Edlyn nearly fell over; partly in surprise but mainly in joy and relief. The eagle was speaking to her! In her language, the Common Tongue! And it was perfect, not broken. But what surprised Edlyn the most was that this eagle spoke to her with the voice of one of the daughters of Men. Not raspy or bird-like, as she would have expected, but clear, smooth and even beautiful. There was a soft hum to her voice that almost sounded like music when she spoke.

"You CAN speak!" The young healer exclaimed. The eagle nodded. "And, you're a female?"

The eagle stared at her. "Of course I'm a female! Are you saying I look like a male?" She said, obviously offended by her words.

Edlyn realized how her words must have sounded and she wanted to kick herself for it. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean...I-I wasn't...I was just..." She paused, trying to find the right words. "Forgive me. It's just that...I've never met one of the great eagles before, and you all kind of look the same to me anyway."

"Well, all you humans look the same to me." The eagle retorted.

Edlyn shrugged. "Alright, I deserved that." The eagle nodded in agreement. "So, if you are capable of speech, why did it take you so long to finally speak to me?"

"You don't know that much about eagles, do you?" The eagle asked. Edlyn shook her head. "We are capable of speech, but like all, it must be learned first. We grow up with the language of our people as our first language. We are also taught all the Elvish dialects as well. Those are the main languages we speak. We can learn other languages like Westron, the Common Tongue. I only knew a little bit of it when I met you. But, I was able to learn more by listening to it being spoken."

"So, you learned how to speak the Common Tongue by listening to me speak?"

The eagle nodded. "And you talked a lot, so that made it easy."

Edlyn smiled sheepishly. "Well, I didn't really have anyone else to talk to."

"I also understood some of the things you said. So..." The eagle said, bending down until she was right in Edlyn's face. "...you think I'm just a big, worthless ball of feathers, is that it?"

Edlyn winced, remembering her earlier comment. "Sorry, I didn't think you could understand me."

"Even if I couldn't, that doesn't give you the right to insult me."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said what I said. I was just angry and I was taking it out on you when it wasn't your fault. I'm truly sorry."

"I understand, I guess." The eagle replied. Edlyn looked at her for moment then she tried to change the subject.

"Well," She said. "Since you and I can now speak to each other, it would be best if we were properly introduced. My name is Edlyn. What's yours?"

"My name is Faen." The eagle said.

"Faen? That's a beautiful name."

"It means 'radiant' in Sindarin. Among my kin, I am known as the Radiant One."

"Why do they call you that?"

"Because if this."

With that, Faen took a step back and very gently, due to her injury, spread her wings as wide as she could. Edlyn let out a gasp. As soon as the sunlight touched her feathers, they let off a beautiful, golden glow, unlike anything the young healer had ever seen. It kind of hurt her eyes but at the same time she found herself unable to look away from it.

"It's beautiful." She said, still transfixed.

"Thank you." Faen replied, folding her wings back against her side. "As I was saying before, my kin had taken your friends to the Carrock. They dropped them off there so they could continue on foot."

"The Carrock? Is that far?"

"Very far." She stated simply.

"But you know the way?"

"Of course I do. It's just taken me awhile to figure out where we are. I'm used to seeing everything from the sky, so it's very strange to be looking at it all from here on the ground. But I recognize this stream. It empties out into the river that leads right to the Carrock. So, all we have to do is follow this stream then follow the river when we find it. But, we must get moving. Like you said before, we probably have orcs following us, so it's best we move now. I will guide you."

"Why are you helping me?" Edlyn asked.

"I owe you a debt. You took care of me and bound my wound. For that, I will repay you by helping you find your friends, no matter what."

"Thank you." Edlyn said, truly touched.

Faen nodded. Suddenly, the healer's forgotten hunger decided to speak up in the form of a long, loud growl emanating from her stomach. It was so loud, she was sure that all of Middle Earth could hear it. Faen obviously heard it and she looked at her with the usual tilt of the head.

"First thing's first, we should probably get something to eat."

Edlyn definitely agreed with that. Faen disappeared into the woods, leaving her alone. Several minutes later, she returned with a large bunch of wild rabbits she had caught. Edlyn built a fire and cooked the rabbits right there. Of course, Faen preferred her rabbits raw. She ate most of them, which Edlyn didn't mind since there was enough for both of them.

Then, with what resources she had, Edlyn made a water pouch out of the skin of a couple of the rabbits and filled it up in the stream. Then, she and Faen continued their journey downstream towards the river.

* * *

Vragar called his fellow Warg riders to a halt, finding themselves in the exact same spot where Edlyn and Faen fell. He looked up and noticed the broken branches in the tree.

 _ **"Vragar! Over here!"**_ One of the Warg riders said. Vragar got off his steed and approached the rider, who pointed to a large red stain on the ground. Vragar dipped his fingers into the red liquid then sniffed it.

 _ **"Eagle blood!"**_ He said, flicking it off his fingers. _**"This is definitely where they fell. And look! There are tracks leading off to the East, there**_ _**are. Two sets of tracks. One is the eagle's, the other one must belong to the female that they were traveling with, it must."**_

 _ **"What makes you think it was the female?"**_ One of the Warg riders asked.

 _ **"These tracks are booted."**_ Vragar replied. _**"So, it could not have been the hobbit, it couldn't. And these tracks are too small to belong to a dwarf. Yes, definitely too small for a dwarf, they are."**_

 _ **"It could have been the wizard."**_

 _ **"Maybe. However, from what I see here, if the eagle had to walk, then that means my arrow must have hit its wing, it did. If it had been the wizard, he could have just healed it with his magic and they wouldn't have had to travel on foot, they wouldn't."**_

 _ **"If it is just the female, don't you think we should just let her go? She probably won't last long out here anyway."**_

 _ **"No."**_ Vragar replied. _ **"Azog told me to track them down and that is what I will do. If you want to return to Azog, that's up to you, it is. But I never get the chance to lead a hunt, so I will keep going, I will."**_ He leapt up onto his steed. _**"Are you coming?**_ " He asked. The Warg rider nodded.

Vragar gave a yell and him and the rest of the riders charged off to the East, hot on their trail!

* * *

 **A/N:** Ladies and gentlemen, meet Faen of the Eagle race! She is one of my favorite OCs that I have ever created! I adore her and I hope you guys will at least like her too. So far everyone over at DA does. Faen was actually the reason why I chose to have Book I end the way it did. I just couldn't resist introducing her as soon as I created her character via brainstorm.

Before we continue, though, here are some things you should know about her:

Her name, Faen (Sindarin "radiant") is phonetically pronounced as **Fye-en.**

My face-claim, or in this case, voice-claim for Faen is Anna Walton.

Her theme is Lumina by Bruhnuville.


	27. Book II CH 3: Concerning Eagles

**A/N:** Don't be fooled by the title and poem. No other eagles will make an appearance. Oh, and this scene is a bit of a filler.

* * *

 **~Concerning Eagles~**

* * *

 _Queens of the sky, Lords of the air  
Beasts of majesty, wherever they fare  
Blessed by the Valar, and thought of as such  
Believed no injury nor weapon could touch  
Yet when wings are broken, pierced or battered  
The false belief of many is shattered  
For more like mortals are these eagles of legends  
When they fall to the earth from out of the heavens_

* * *

Edlyn and Faen continued on their journey together. They headed northeast, following the stream towards the river that led to the Carrock. Of course, Faen had failed to mention that the river was so far away. If they had been flying it wouldn't have taken so long. However, since they were walking, it took a lot longer. Especially since one of them was a clumsy eagle who wasn't used to walking and would trip on herself every once in a while.

"I'm sorry, mouse." She would say.

'Mouse' was the new nickname she started calling Edlyn; on account of how much smaller she was than her. The young healer would just roll her eyes every time and tell her that it was alright even though she felt like screaming. They had been walking for a day or so and still hadn't reached the river.

But, Edlyn never complained because honestly, she was incredibly thankful to have Faen as her guide. Other than the occasional tripping here and there and her tendency to be a bit bossy, Faen proved herself to be a magnificent companion. She knew the wilderness well and Edlyn felt safe having her lead her. Every time they would stop for a rest, Faen was more than willing to go hunt for food. She mainly brought back small animals such as rabbits and other rodents plus an occasional deer. But whatever she brought back, she brought back a lot of. Edlyn would take the liberty of fishing in the stream, which she was somewhat successful with. She never had to cook for Faen because she ate everything raw. She ate significantly more than her fellow human, that was true. But thanks to her efficiency with the hunting, it wasn't a problem.

She was even kind enough to offer carrying Edlyn on her back, because, according to her, they would cover more distance if she carried her. However, Edlyn politely declined each time because not only did she not want Faen to over exert herself because of her injury but she was also nervous about the chance of her accidentally tripping over herself again while she was on her back and she would not have liked that.

And of course, the two of them did a lot of talking throughout the journey. Having Faen there to talk to and having her actually able to talk back was the only thing keeping Edlyn from losing her mind. Faen was surprisingly easy to talk to. She was pretty relatable, which was something Edlyn hadn't really expected. She had never thought of this giant bird as having anything in common with her, but the two of them shared some similar views, such as a deep hatred for orcs. But then again, who didn't? Edlyn learned so much about Faen and her race and she in turn learned about her and hers.

"Faen?" Edlyn asked her once. "May I ask you a question?"

"You ask a lot of questions, don't you mouse?" Faen said.

"So do you."

"True." Faen said. "Alright, what is it?"

"Why did your kin only take the company to the Carrock? Why didn't they take them all the way to Erebor and save them the time?"

"You really don't know much about eagles, do you?"

"Let's just establish that until I met you, I knew nothing."

Faen nodded. "Well, it's a common misconception among the many races of Middle Earth; a false belief that just because the great eagles are immortal means that we are also indestructible. But, as you very well know by now, we are far from indestructible."

She turned and looked at the arrow wound on her wing and Edlyn smirked bitterly, knowing just how right she was.

"We are just as vulnerable as the elves are." Faen continued. "Old age and disease have no effect on us but we can easily be wounded by other means and die from those wounds as well, if they are fatal enough, which is why we dare not go near the Lonely Mountain for we fear Smaug and his flame. He would easily catch our scent and burn us alive without a thought." She looked at her wound again. "And if this is what a simple orc arrow is capable of, then just imagine what dragon-fire could do."

Edlyn thought for a moment "I didn't think of it like that."

"No one ever does." Faen replied. "And even if there wasn't a dragon to fear, we would still never go too far East towards the settlements of Men for we fear their arrows. Nor would we ever go near Mirkwood. A darkness lies over those woods; a darkness that we fear. Which is why my kin could only take your friends as far as the Carrock."

"Huh." Edlyn said thoughtfully. "Speaking of your kin, do you think they will find us soon?"

"Probably not."

The human stopped. "What do you mean 'probably not'? Surely they have to be looking for you. They must have noticed that you're missing by now."

Faen paused and looked down at the healer, staring at her with a regretful look in her grey eyes. It always amazed Edlyn how much emotion could be expressed through them.

"I have something I must tell you, mouse." She said. Edlyn stood there and waited for her to continue. "I wasn't supposed to be in the Misty Mountains with the other eagles." The healer frowned, confused about what she said. "I am young, mouse; very young. By eagle standards, I'm still just a child. Probably only a little bit younger than you. As such, I have restrictions. I'm really not allowed to leave my eyrie or join the patrol. But my biggest flaw is that I'm restless; I don't like to sit still. I wanted to join the patrol. So, when Qwaihir learned of your situation, I snuck off and flew on ahead against the wishes of the others. I made sure that they didn't know I was there."

"That was why you were flying so low."

Faen nodded. "I didn't want them to see me. The only problem was I had no idea where they were going until I heard Qwaihir instruct the others to take them to the Carrock. That was right before that cursed arrow pierced my wing and got us stranded here. And unfortunately if my kin are searching for me, they are probably searching in the wrong place. This is not the first time I have run off and usually when I do, I like to run off to the West, so they're probably searching for me over there. If they do find us, it won't be for a long time."

"Oh, brilliant." Edlyn muttered.

"I'm sorry." Faen said.

"It's fine." Edlyn said less than honestly. A silence fell over them both as they continued to follow the stream.

* * *

Vragar and his riders stopped when they made it to the stream. They all dismounted and started searching for the trail. Suddenly, Vragar spotted something on the ground. It was a bandage with blood on it; the bandage that was wrapped around Edlyn's injured hand that she accidentally left behind. Vragar looked it over then sniffed it, taking one long whiff, his eyes rolling in the back of his head.

 _ **"What do you smell?"**_ One of the riders asked.

 _ **"Man flesh!"**_ Vragar said. _**"More specifically, the flesh of she-man. It was definitely the female, it was. And look, the tracks follow the stream. They're trying to find the river, they are."**_

 _ **"Are we still going to follow them?"**_ The rider asked.

 _ **"Of course, you idiot!"**_ Vragar snapped. _**"And we are wasting our time yapping. Let's go, now!"**_

Vragar and the riders mounted their steeds and ran off, following the trail along the stream.

* * *

That night, Edlyn and Faen set up a campfire not that far from the stream. They had to take a longer trail around because the bank of the stream had gotten dangerously muddy, so they had to find drier ground to build a campfire since it was getting dark. Edlyn set up camp and cooked some of the wild rabbits and muskrats Faen had caught that day. Faen, meanwhile, enjoyed a couple deer she caught; raw, of course.

"Well, Faen." The healer said when she had finished eating. "That was delicious. Thank you for being gracious enough to catch dinner for us."

"My pleasure, mouse."

"Why must you call me that?"

"Because that's what you are. To me, you are a mouse because I'm big and you're small."

"True, but by eagle standards, you're younger than me. And besides, you're probably smaller than the other eagles on account of your age."

"That's true. But as long as we're here, I'm still bigger than you, mouse."

Edlyn rolled her eyes and let out a light chuckle, staring down at the dying fire. Then, she looked up at Faen.

"I'm curious about you, Faen." She said. "I'm curious about your life, your family and your home. I've told you about mine, but I want to know about yours. Where do you live exactly? Who are your parents? Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"Easy there, mouse." Faen said. "In order, I live in an eyrie on the northwestern most part of the Misty Mountains. My mother's name is Esteloneth and my father's name Qwaetan. I have two sisters and one brother. Anything else you wish to know?"

"What about a special someone? Is there a certain male eagle that has caught your eye?" Edlyn said in a somewhat teasing tone. Faen said nothing, she just turned her head away and Edlyn could have sworn that she saw her blush, if that was even possible. "There is, isn't there!" She chirped. "Alright, tell me about him."

Faen looked back at her. "Alright. His name is Limroval. It means 'swift wing' in Sindarin. He is part of Qwaihir's patrol. He's not that much older than me."

"Well, he must be a very handsome eagle if he was able to catch your eye. You, the fairest of your race."

Faen let out a laugh, which surprised Edlyn since she had never heard her laugh before. But, it was a beautiful sound!

"I doubt that, mouse. But thank you." Faen said. The healer smiled at her. "What about you, mouse. Do you have a special someone?" Now, it was Edlyn's turn to blush. "You do then? Alright, you forced me to tell you about Limroval. Now, I want to hear about this special man in _your_ life."

"Actually, he's not a man." Edlyn said. Faen tilted her head with curiosity. "He's a dwarf."

"Was he one of the dwarves you were traveling with?" Faen asked. Edlyn nodded. Faen leaned forward with interest. "Tell me about him."

"Oh, you don't want to hear me ramble on about him."

"Oh, but I do." Faen said. "I want to know what it is about this dwarf that has your heart beating wildly."

Edlyn laughed at her teasing. "Well, he's a dwarf, so naturally, he's short." She turned and stared at the dying embers of the campfire, her mind and heart suddenly miles away. "Short, yet perfect in every way." She continued, almost absentmindedly. "With hair as gold as the sun's rays, eyes as blue as the deepest sea, a smile that just brings light into the world, a laugh with the power to stop sorrow, and a heart that contains the courage of a lion and the sweetness of a lover. He is like the wind; gentle and soothing yet fierce during a storm. He is...the kindest and most beautiful person I ever met."

Edlyn's heart started to ache as she thought about Fili. She missed him a lot more than she thought she did. Suddenly thinking about him, envisioning him as clearly as if he was really there, she realized that she felt incredibly lonely without him, despite Faen's presence. Tears started to fall and she tried to wipe them away before Faen saw them. But, she was too late; Faen noticed.

"You miss him." Faen said. It was more of a statement than a question.

"Immensely." Edlyn replied. "I miss feeling his arms around me." She paused. "You know, the last time we saw each other, he was holding onto me, trying to prevent me from falling off that cliff right before you saved me. I told him that I was going to let go so that he wouldn't fall as well and he was begging me not to; begging me not to leave him. Then I slipped and he watched me fall." She paused again. "I don't know if he even knows I'm still alive or if he believes I'm dead. I don't know if he's alright. I don't even know if any of them are alright. The last thing I saw before I fell was Thorin getting beaten down by Azog and Bilbo shielding him. Are they alright? I don't even know and that's the worst part." She put her hand over her face and hung her head. Faen leaned down and placed her beak on her shoulder.

"You will find them, Edlyn." She said, using her true name which she only did when she was being serious. "If it's the last thing I do, I will help you find them. And you will be back in your lover's arms again, I swear it."

Edlyn looked at Faen and saw that sincere fire burning in her grey eyes and she knew she meant it. "Thank you." She said.

Faen nodded. "Well, we should be getting some sleep now. We still have a long journey ahead of us."

She got up and got herself comfortable before sitting down again. She lifted her left wing, her uninjured wing, and invited Edlyn in. The young healer accepted the invitation and got up. She walked over to her, sat down next to her and snuggled against her feathered body as she gently placed her wing over her, serving as both a blanket and a means of protection.

"Good night, Faen."

"Good night, mouse."

Edlyn looked up at Faen and saw that her head was moving back and forth as she continuously scanned the surrounding area for signs of danger, a quality that the healer found captivating. She was always very alert and did everything she could to protect her. Edlyn smiled knowing that Faen would try to be at that all night but would most likely fall asleep soon, as she always did.

Edlyn smiled again and looked up at the night sky. There were thousands of stars out and the moon was almost full, providing silver light to the dark woods around them. As she lay there staring at the sky, her thoughts turned the company and she wondered where they were. She thought about Fili and wondered the same thing. Where was he? What was he doing right now? What was he thinking and feeling at that moment? Did he know she was alive? She didn't know. All she could do was hope that he did know and that he was somehow looking for her.

 _"I will find you, Fili."_ She internally said, as if he could hear her somehow. _"Even if I have to walk all the way across Middle Earth and take on every danger that this_ _world has to offer, I will find you. Just don't lose hope."_

Then, with those comforting words in mind, Edlyn closed her eyes and very slowly fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

 **A/N : **A friendly reminder to all my readers. Everything that Faen said about why the eagles didn't just fly the company all the way to Erebor, yeah, that was in the book! It's all right there in Tolkien's text. And it also helps to explain why they didn't fly the fellowship all the way to Mordor where ONE OF THE MOST EVIL BEINGS IN MIDDLE EARTH LIVES WITH HIS FLYING NAZGUL AND ORC ARCHERS!

So please stop complaining. Please stop accusing the eagles of being a plot hole, because they are not! Tolkien _did_ in fact think this stuff through. So yeah, please leave the eagles alone because they've gotten enough of a bad rep from Jackson's films and they don't deserve it. They're Manwe's messengers, for crying out loud! Show them some respect, and gratitude!

 **Music:**

Vragar's hunting theme is **Dark Ages** by **Two Steps from Hell.**

Edlyn and Faen's travel montage music is **Mythic Legends** (original version)by **Peter Crowley.**

The music for Faen and Edlyn's campfire conversation is **Where the Shadows Cannot Reach** by **Adrian von Ziegler.**

(Songs belong to their respective owners).


	28. Book II CH 4: A Lover's Grief

**A/N:** Contains heavy doses of grieving Fili. If you hate seeing our beautiful, golden-haired prince in deep, emotional pain, read with extreme caution because this will break your heart. Also contains some grieving Kili as well **.** I am so sorry for this.

* * *

 **~A Lover's Grief~**

* * *

 _His love was dead, as he believed_  
 _By the stillness of the night, he grieved_  
 _Remorse and pain were all he felt_  
 _In the emptiness in his heart, he dwelt_  
 _Not even his brother, his lifelong friend_  
 _Could say anything to make the grieving end_  
 _Together they wept. Each, for another_  
 _One, for his love. The other, for his brother_.

* * *

That very same night, miles away, in the home of a skin changer, a young dwarf prince was being even more tormented than the healer was.

* * *

The company had been lodging at Beorn's home for a couple days now. They planned on continuing on to Mirkwood the next day, but for now they needed to get some sleep.

However, sleep did not find Fili that night. Honestly, sleep hadn't found Fili that much at all in the past few days. He hardly slept, not since the day she fell. Not since he lost her (so he believed).

Fili had not been doing too well since then. After Edlyn fell, Fili shut himself off from the rest of the company. He hardly said a word to anyone. Not even Kili could get much out of him. He didn't speak, he didn't yell, he didn't even cry. He was just silent. And he always wanted to be alone. He would even push Kili away, choosing instead to walk by himself in complete silence and sleeping at night in just the same fashion.

What Fili didn't want anyone to know (although they most likely knew already) was that his silence was just a mask to hide the grief that was tearing him apart inside. He wanted to appear strong so he managed to remain quiet and dry-eyed during the day, but at night, when he was alone and no one else was watching, he'd let the grief out in the form of hot, bitter tears. He cried silently but hard, grieving for his lost love.

Tonight was really no different. The only thing was that tonight, Fili wasn't able to be alone. The space that they were sleeping in was cramped and there was no way for Fili to find an isolated spot to sleep on. He was lying among the others in the company, staring up at the ceiling. As far as he knew, he was the only one who was awake. He could feel his throat clenching and the tears threatening to spill over but he held them back. He didn't want to let them out yet for fear that someone would wake up and ask if he was alright. He knew they would if they saw; they had been worrying about him ever since Edlyn died. Fili needed to let it out somehow, so he decided to isolate himself some other way. Very quietly, he got up and made his way to the door. He was quiet enough that he didn't wake anyone.

Once he was outside, Fili closed his eyes and savored the soothing coolness of the night air. It was the only comfort he had now, but it was fleeting. The only other comforts he had died along with Edlyn; comforts that only she provided.

He missed everything about her. He missed feeling her lying next to him and holding her in his arms. He missed her warmth within his grasp. He missed feeling her hot breath on the back of his neck when she held him from behind. He missed feeling her heart beat in perfect harmony with his own. He missed the sound of her voice, whether talking or singing. Sometimes, he'd internally hum that same song he heard her singing that first night he spoke to her, but it wasn't the same as hearing her sing it.

He missed her smile, her little smirks, the way her eyes seemed to sparkle like diamonds when she laughed and the sound of her laughter. He missed feeling her lips against his. He missed her gentle heart and fiery spirit. He missed her, period! And now, the ever growing realization that he would never see her again made his heart break even more.

Tears started to escape his eyes as he looked up at the night sky. There were thousands of stars out and the moon was close to being full, providing cool light to the darkness around him. His heart ached as he looked at it. He had told Edlyn once how much she reminded him of the moon, so beautiful, haunting and mysterious; so full of secrets. She just laughed at his claim right before she attacked him with a kiss.

Now, looking at the moon and all its mysterious beauty made him think about that memory and caused his heart to be torn over and over again. Edlyn's absence had left a big sinking hole inside him that no one, not even Kili could fill. Without her, he felt alone and the feeling was so strong it was maddening.

And yet, he couldn't shake this small, almost hopeful feeling deep inside that somehow, somewhere, she was still alive. It was just a small feeling, but it was the only thing that prevented him from going insane, or caused him to be driven even more insane than he already was. However, this feeling was always overpowered by what the rest of him was saying; the parts of him that believed her to be dead. Ultimately, he figured that it was just the same false hope that everyone has when someone they love dies; the false hope that just existed to torture them, and in the end that hope would be drowned out by the dark feelings of pain and remorse.

Fili blamed himself for what happened to Edlyn. He felt like it was his fault. If only he had held onto her longer. If only he had been strong enough. If he hadn't been so weak, she would still be here; she would still be alive.

He kept replaying the whole thing in his head. The look of fear in her eyes, the terrifying feeling of his strength failing and the heart-stopping sensation of her hand slipping from his grasp. If only he had held onto her longer. Why did he let go? Why did _she_ let go? He told her not to let go! It should have been him that fell, not her. She didn't deserve to die like that! It should have been him! Why wasn't it him?!

"Fee?"

Fili was pulled out of his thoughts by the familiar and sudden sound of his brother's voice. He didn't look at Kili at all as he tried to wipe the tears away before he saw them. Apparently, Kili was awake and saw his brother sneak out the door.

"Fili, are you alright?"

It was a question that Kili already knew the answer to.

"I'm fine." Fili said with a shaky voice without turning around.

Kili let out a sigh. "No, you're not fine, Fili. You haven't been fine for days." Fili said nothing nor did he look at Kili. "I've heard you crying at night, Fee. And it kills me every time. But what kills me more is this silence." Fili still said nothing. "I know it's hard dealing with the tragedy of Edlyn's death, but you can't keep shutting us out like this. You can't keep shutting _me_ out." Fili kept staring off away from Kili, not saying a word. "Fili? Damn it, Fili! Talk to me!"

Kili grabbed Fili's shoulder and spun him around, forcing him to look at him. As soon as he did, Kili's hard expression softened when he saw that his brother's face was tear-stained and there was pain in his eyes. His face was straight but Kili knew he was trying to hold back tears. Kili let out another sigh and his grip on his brother's shoulder loosened as he gently let go of him. After he did, Fili's eye fell to the ground.

"I know you miss her, Fee." Kili said softly. "So do I. She was my friend. She was a friend to all of us." Fili looked up at Kili. "It's hard dealing with the death of a friend, or a lover. But this is not how to do it. Shutting people out is not what Edlyn would have wanted. If she could see you now, she would be heart broken."

"You don't know that." Fili said with a dark tone. "You didn't know her."

"True, I didn't know her that well." Kili said calmly. "But you did. Tell me, how _would_ she react if she saw you the way you are now?"

Instead of answering Fili just lowered his eyes again. Because he knew Kili was right.

"Exactly." Kili said, seeing his brother's actions as an answer to his question. "I understand that it's hard. But we have to be strong and move on, for her sake."

"I can't, Kili." Fili said quietly. "I can't go on without her."

"You have to try, Fee. It's what she would have wanted, you know that." Kili said. "I'm not saying that it will be easy, and just because you're moving on doesn't mean you're going to forget her. I know you could never do that."

"It's my fault she's gone." Fili blurted out. Kili gave him a confused frown. "I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't save her. I couldn't hold onto her. I was weak and because of that she's gone." Fili turned his head away.

"Fili, look at me." Kili said, putting his hand on Fili's face and forcing his gaze towards him. When Fili looked at his brother, he saw tears in his brown eyes. "This is NOT your fault! Don't you dare say that! No one is to blame for this! What happened to Edlyn was tragic but it is no one's fault. It was just Fate, that's all." He rested his forehead against Fili's. "Stop destroying yourself like this, brother. It pains me to see you this way."

"I loved her, Kili. I loved her so much." Fili said, and he meant it.

The feelings he had for Edlyn were stronger than anything he had ever known. He knew that what he felt for her was not a mere infatuation, it was real! He didn't completely realize that until now, now that she was gone.

"I know you loved her." Kili replied. "And more importantly, so did she."

Fili just stared at his brother for a moment, noting the look of pain in his eyes. Suddenly, everything slipped! Tears started falling against his will.

"I want her back, Kili!" Fili said, his face finally dissolving. "I want to hold her in my arms again! I just...I want her back!"

"I know, brother." Was all Kili could say, his words having finally failed him. "I know."

He put his hand on the back of Fili's head and pulled his brother into a hug. Fili didn't fight him. He just fell into his embrace, buried his face against his shoulder and broke down.

He no longer cared if anyone heard him or saw him. He no longer cared about anything anymore. Right now, the grief was the only thing he noticed. He clung onto Kili as tight as he could, weeping hard on his shoulder. His heart was shattered and he did not care if the whole world knew.

Fili's heart wrenching sobs were the only thing that filled Kili's ears and all he could do was hold him. He could feel the tears soaking through his shirt but he paid no mind to it. He didn't say anything to calm him down. After all, what could he say? Nothing he could say would ever take the pain away. It would always be there no matter what he did. He wished there was something he could say, something he could do to make it all stop.

He wished he was better with words. Usually he is, but not when it comes to something like this. Usually, it was always Fili who would comfort him when he was hurt or scared. But now, the roles were reversed. Now, it was his turn to be the comforter and all he could do was hold his brother close and be there for him. But it still didn't feel like enough.

It destroyed him. It destroyed him to see his brother like this; to see him broken and grieving. He could feel his sob-racked body shaking in his hold and it caused him to lose what little control he had. The tears that had been stinging his own eyes spilled over as he held his brother closer.

But his tears were silent. He didn't want Fili to hear him because he knew he needed to be strong; he needed to be strong for him. He held Fili tighter as he silently grieved with him. He grieved for Edlyn, his lost friend, but he also grieved for his brother. He grieved, realizing the pain he was experiencing having found a love only to lose her just as quickly; a pain that he couldn't possibly imagine right now. And he had no doubt that Fili's loud sobs had most likely woken the rest of the company.

He was right.

Every other member of the company _was_ awake, even Gandalf and Beorn. They had actually been awake for a while, listening to the conversation between the two brothers. They all looked at each other sadly at the heart breaking sobs coming from the grieving young prince. They all shared in his pain, to an extent. They too mourned for their lost friend, some more than others. They knew it was going to take a lot for them to move on. It would take a lot for them to be strong.

However, they all had no clue that their lost friend was not quite so lost. At least, not in the way they believed.

* * *

 **A/N:** If you guys need me, I'll be sitting in the corner, rocking back and forth and sobbing.

 **Music:**

The music playing during this scene is **Eternal Love** by **Future World Music**.

(Song belongs to its respective owner)


	29. Book II CH 5: Fight & Flight

**A/N:** I should warn everyone that this chapter contains some graphic imagery. Also, there is a small implication of nudity towards the end. But it's not too bad.

* * *

 **~Fight & Flight~**

* * *

 _A healer and an eagle, alone in the Wild  
In an untamed world so easily riled  
Protecting each other, as only they could  
For loyalty was something they both understood  
But as the journey goes on, the truth becomes clearer;  
Deep in the shadows, dark things draw nearer_

* * *

Edlyn awoke early the next morning to the irritating sensation of something tickling her face and nose as well as the sensation of something heavy on her chest. For one panic filled moment, she forgot where she was. Her heart jumped and reflex took over as she frantically struggled to free herself from whatever it was that on top of her. She managed to pull herself out from under whatever it was, sneezing and sputtering as she did, leaping to her feet to see what was going on.

Relief flooded her entire being. "Oh, yeah." She said quietly with a sheepish giggle when she saw Faen still sleeping on the ground, suddenly remembering that she had fallen asleep under her wing last night. That was what had woken her up. At the moment, Edlyn was somewhat thankful that there wasn't anyone else currently there because she probably looked ridiculous for panicking about it.

Edlyn looked at Faen for a moment. Her sudden and frantic movements hadn't woken her at all for she was still sound asleep. Poor thing must have been up most of the night trying to keep a lookout for danger. She stirred and tucked her head under her wing before going still again. The healer decided to let her sleep a bit more since the sun was just beginning to rise and it was still a bit early. Besides, she looked so peaceful when she was asleep.

Eventually, Edlyn decided to look on ahead to see if she could find a good trail that led to the stream. She figured she would eat when she got back. Knowing that it was not safe to go off without some way to protect herself, she grabbed her sword and secured it tightly on her back. She also grabbed Fili's knives and tucked them somewhere on her person where she would have easy access. She turned and made her way into the woods to search for a trail.

It took Edlyn a while to finally find the stream. But she was incredibly relieved when she did. She knew which way to go since she made a point to mark the trail she took by carving certain symbols into the trees with the knives she had with her. Once she found the stream, she turned and made her way back to Faen, following the trail she made.

She had only gone a little ways when suddenly, she heard the sound of a twig snapping and rustling in the bushes. She whipped around, her eyes darting every which way to see what had caused it. She heard more rustling and spun around again, her fingers wrapped around the hilt of her sword.

"Show yourself." She demanded. There was no answer.

Edlyn stayed completely still with her hand still on her sword. There was nothing but silence, and it unnerved her. After a few moments, she slowly took her hand away from her sword and was about to turn around and head back down the trail when suddenly, she was grabbed from behind. A big, black hand that reeked of death and disease was clapped over her mouth to prevent her from crying out as she was thrown violently against a tree. Another arm was pressed against her chest, preventing her from moving. She looked up at her attacker and came face to face with a big, dark-skinned orc, who stared down at her with a wicked, toothy grin.

 _ **"Well, whatta ya know? The little imp was right."**_ He said in his native tongue.

Edlyn didn't understand what he was saying nor did she care. She struggled against his hold but he just laughed as he held onto her tighter. Suddenly, she heard a familiar howl and saw a small group of Wargs and their riders approaching.

 _ **"Hey, Vragar! Look who I caught!"**_ Her captor said.

One of the orcs dismounted his steed and walked towards them. He was a bit shorter than the rest (from what Edlyn could see) with muddy brown skin and pale blue eyes. He had an ape-like face complete with a nose ring and a Mohawk made out of long dreadlocks. He had a bow and a quiver on his back and he walked with a bit of a waddle.

 _ **"Ah, yes."**_ He said. _**"Caught our prey, you have. I told you it was the female, I did."**_ He looked at Edlyn. _**"So far from your companions, you**_ _**are. Where's your eagle friend? No doubt died of its wound, it had. All alone now, you must be. Don't worry, you're not alone now. We'll keep you company, we will**_." He gave her a wicked grin.

 _ **"What are we going to do with her, Vragar?"**_ Asked the orc who was holding the young healer. _**"Can we kill her?"**_ His grip on her tightened.

 _ **"No."**_ Vragar replied. _**"We will take her back to Azog."**_

 _ **"What? Why?"**_ The orc asked.

 _ **"Because..."**_ Vragar said. _**"Azog said that I may do what I wished with my prey when I find them, he did. And I want to take her to him; so that he can see what I have accomplished. Then you can kill her, you can!"**_

The orc nodded then pulled Edlyn against his chest, holding onto her tight with his hand still over her mouth. She fought against his hold as he started dragging her over to his Warg.

 _ **"Wait a minute."**_ Vragar said as he quickly removed her sword and tossed it aside. _**"Thought you could get away with**_ _**this, did ya?"**_ He said. _**"Let's go!"**_ He ordered.

The orc that held Edlyn continued to drag her towards his Warg, and the closer they got, the more she fought against his grip.

"STOP FIGHTING!" Vragar yelled at her, this time in the common tongue, making her stop dead. "If you continue to fight, I'll gut you myself, I will!" He said furiously.

Edlyn stared at him wide-eyed and completely still as he glared at her. Then he turned and walked back to his Warg and the orc followed suit. The healer knew she had to get away from them and quick! But how? She had an idea and she knew she wouldn't like it, but she had no other choice at the moment.

Opening her mouth, Edlyn bit down on the orc's hand, biting as hard as she could. Orc flesh was the most disgusting thing she had ever tasted, but she endured it as she held onto him tight as a leech. The orc let out a shriek of pain and let go of her, throwing her to ground. He stumbled back; clutching his hand in pain as Edlyn quickly got up and tackled him to the ground before he had a chance to react. The commotion caused Vragar to turn around just in time to see her attack the orc while the other Warg riders shifted on their steeds. As soon as she pinned the orc down, Edlyn whipped out one of Fili's knives that was very well hidden and held it to the orc's throat.

Suddenly, something hard hit her on the back of the head and everything went black.

* * *

When Edlyn awoke, the first thing she noticed was that there was something clamped around her middle. The next thing she noticed was the wind blowing hard in her face and whipping her hair around. Next, she noticed the glare of the sun right in her face, and when she raised her arm to shield her eyes, she became aware that her limbs were dangling. That was quickly followed by the stomach dropping feeling of weightlessness and she soon realized that she was not on solid ground. When her vision cleared, she saw sights moving around her, and...below her? What?

It took a while for Edlyn's brain to put the pieces together. But, she soon figured out what was going on when she was alerted to the flapping of large wings and a familiar glint of gold right above her head. Then, she knew what was happening.

It was an eagle! She was in clamped in the talons of an eagle and it was carrying her through the air! And it wasn't just any eagle, as she found out when she looked up and caught a glimpse of the bandage wrapped around its right wing.

"FAEN!" she shouted. It was Faen! Faen was the one who was carrying her! Faen was the one who was flying!

Wait a second. Faen was flying? Why was she flying? She's not supposed to be flying; her injury wasn't healed yet.

"Hold on, mouse!" Faen shouted. "We're almost there!" Her voice was strained and Edlyn knew she was in pain. No surprise there.

She looked around but didn't see any other eagles around; therefore Faen must have been alone. So, she wondered, what happened to the orcs who had captured her?

Again, to know that, we must take a step back.

* * *

Faen woke up that morning and the first thing she noticed was that Edlyn was nowhere to be found.

"Mouse? Mouse, where are you?" She called. There was no answer. Then she noticed that the healer's weapons were missing. "Edlyn?!" She called again. Still, no answer. A bad feeling formed in her chest as she searched around for her, calling her name.

Suddenly, she heard the bone chilling howl of a Warg in the distance and fear gripped her. She charged off into the forest towards the sound of the Wargs, eventually finding that trail Edlyn had marked. It didn't take her long to finally see them; a party of about five or six Wargs and their riders, two of which were leaning over Edlyn's unconscious body after Vragar had hit her on the back of the head with the hilt of his dagger.

 _ **"There. Now she won't fight back, she won't."**_ Vragar said.

 _ **"Let me kill her, please."**_ Said the orc that Edlyn had attacked.

 _ **"No!"**_ Vragar shouted. _**"We take her back to Azog, we will. Now grab her."**_

From where she was, Faen could not tell whether Edlyn was even alive or not, nor did she care at the moment. So great was her fury at seeing her in the hands of those vile creatures that her hatred for them burned a hundred fold. Letting out a loud, angry, unearthly screech, she burst through the trees and knocked down the first Warg she encountered, grabbing the rider in her beak and throwing him hard against a tree with a sickening thud, killing him instantly. The Warg itself shrieked and howled as Faen ripped it apart with her talons. It was a horrifying sound and the rest of the hunting party fell away in fright.

But Faen did not show restraint for their fear; she attacked them too. The wrath of the Great Eagles burned inside her like a fierce fire as she continued to throw orcs against rocks and trees and tear Wargs apart with her claws and beak. Their horrifying dying screams filled the air and their flesh and blood splattered everywhere, but Faen paid no mind to it, nor did she pay attention to the pain in her wing. The only thing on her mind was saving Edlyn.

Finally, Faen stopped, noticing that there was no one left for her to attack. Every member of the hunting party was dead; she had killed them all in her fury. Their corpses lay scattered all around her and their blood was smeared all over her face and body. She walked over to Edlyn and nudged her with her beak .

"Edlyn, are you alright?" She asked.

Edlyn did not answer nor did she open her eyes. But the eagle could feel her breath on her beak so she knew she was not dead, just unconscious. Faen looked around at the carnage around her. She figured that there was most likely more orcs where these guys came from. She had to get them out of here; she had to get them to the Carrock. There was only one way to get them there as soon as possible; she had to fly there. She knew that her wing wasn't healed yet and that it would be a painful journey. But, it would not be long for the Carrock was not that far away. She could make it; she had to.

Turning, she picked up Edlyn's sword and the knife she had dropped in one talon then very gently picked Edlyn up in the other. As she did, she took a deep breath and pushed herself off the ground. The take-off was rough and there was pain, but she held it back as best as she could, trying to focus on the flight. After gaining some height, she turned towards the East and carried her off to the Carrock.

* * *

Faen didn't know it, but she had not succeeded in killing every member of the hunting party. There was one who got away.

Almost as soon Faen came bursting through the trees, Vragar leapt onto his Warg and bolted. He had tried to fire a few arrows to bring the eagle down, but she dodged them. Her fury frightened him so much that he turned and ran away, leaving his companions to their fate, for he was coward, as even the greatest of simpletons could see.

But, he was also very prideful and he did not wish to be seen as the coward he truly was. So, when he finally caught up to Azog after he ran off, rather than telling him the truth, he lied to the pale orc, for he was a liar as well as a coward. He told him that he was forced to kill both the eagle and the she-man and burn their bodies after the eagle had gone on a rampage and slaughtered the others while he barely escaped with his life.

Azog didn't fully believe him, but since Edlyn was of little importance to him, he let it go. Vragar was overjoyed that he had gotten away with it, not knowing that that lie was going cause serious problems for him later.

* * *

After several minutes, Faen set Edlyn and her weapons down on the top of a giant rock formation right before landing herself and collapsing in total exhaustion. Edlyn scrambled to her feet, her head throbbing and swimming after the hit it took as she staggered over to Faen to see if she was alright, feeling a mixture of concern and frustration.

"It hurts. It hurts." She heard the eagle mutter under her breath.

"Well, of course it hurts!" Edlyn yelled, feeling a bit angered. "What do you think you're doing? You not supposed to be flying, Faen. Your wing isn't healed yet."

"Is THAT the thanks I get for saving you? This was the only way for me to get you out of danger."

"You're supposed to be healing. If you ever want to recover you have to be more careful. Now you've most likely made the injury worse."

Faen didn't say anything.

"Let me take a look at it." Edlyn walked over to her wing and she let her look at it.

Just as she had feared, Faen's forbidden flight had caused the wound to open up a bit more. Using the last of the Athelas that she had in the pouch on her belt, Edlyn cleaned and bandaged the wound again. As she did, she looked at Faen, noticing how quiet she was. Her head was hanging and she looked remorseful. Guilt formed in the young healer's chest, suddenly realizing how ungrateful she was being.

"By the way..." She said. "...thank you for saving my life."

Faen looked at her. "You're welcome. And thank you." She said. Edlyn nodded her reply and a silence fell over them both. When she was done, she took a step back.

"There." She said. "I did what I can. The only thing left is to let it heal and take it easy. That means no more flying, do you hear me?"

Faen nodded. "I guess that means we're walking from here."

"Indeed. Where are we anyway?"

"This is the Carrock."

Edlyn's heart leapt. "Really?"

"Yes." Faen said. "And look." She lifted her head and stared off towards the East. Edlyn followed her gaze and saw, far in the distance, the dark outline of a mountain just on the horizon.

The young healer stared at it in awe. "Is that...?"

"Yes." Faen said. "Erebor, the great kingdom of the dwarves, and your destination."

Edlyn turned and looked at her. "Thank you, Faen. Thank you so much!" She wrapped her arms around the eagle's neck and hugged her tight.

"Alright alright! You're welcome, mouse." She said with a laugh. She let go of her. "Now, we best get going."

"Are you sure that you want to continue on with me. You said your kin wouldn't dare venture beyond this point, so I don't know if you would."

"I don't have a choice, mouse. I promised you that I would help you find your friends, even if that means I'd have to walk all the way to Erebor with you. And I will if I have to. Besides, I can't really be on my own. Not with this injury."

"Well then, let's go."

Slinging her sword onto her back and tucking the knife into her belt, the two of them made their way down the steps to the river below. They walked to the ford and Edlyn removed her clothes to bathe in the clear water. Faen bathed with her since she was still covered in blood after killing all those orcs and Wargs.

When she was done, Edlyn dried herself off in the sun and Faen sat next to her preening her feathers. The human didn't feel at all uncomfortable with taking her clothes off in front of the eagle. She was a female also and she didn't seem to mind anyway. All she did was make a comment about how funny humans looked without their clothes on since they didn't have any feathers. Edlyn just laughed and agreed with her as she brushed her long, dark hair out with her fingers then braided it. After she was done, she put her clothes on then she and Faen continued on their journey East.

Neither of them knew that they were not out of danger yet. The worst was still yet to come.

* * *

 **A/N:** Um, I realize that it's probably impossible for Vragar to catch up with Azog that quickly but bear with me please.

 **Music:**

The music that plays when Edlyn gets caught by Vragar is **Blood Night** by **Adrian von Ziegler.**

The music that plays when Faen attacks the Warg riders is **Into the Eternal Twilight** by **Immediate Music.**

The first minute and twenty seconds of **Lumina** by **BrunuhVille** plays during Faen's flight to the Carrock **.**

(songs belongs to their respective owners)


	30. Book II CH 6: Caught

**A/N:** A massive warning; this chapter contains some very graphic and bloody imagery. This is not for the squeamish, trust me.

* * *

 **~Caught~**

* * *

 _A great white hunter astride a white steed_  
 _Cruel, ruthless and foul in deed_  
 _Beware his fury, as the wise man would say._  
 _When you defy the hunter, you become his prey._

* * *

Their journey continued the next couple days without incident or any signs of danger, and no more Wargs, which Edlyn was incredibly thankful for. The most that happened was a little rainstorm which wasn't too bad since Faen was gracious enough to keep the human dry by shielding her with her good wing. Other than that, not much happened and it appeared that all was going to go smoothly.

That was, until darkness fell one night.

It was early evening and they had been traveling across the open plain that went on for some miles before merging into Mirkwood. The only path that they knew of that led through the woods was the Old Forest Road. But Faen had advised against using that path since it was the main route and was open to attack by orcs. Plus, the passage through the woods had become overgrown after years of disuse and was difficult to follow. She said that there were other paths that were often used by the elves, but she had no knowledge of where they were. However, she was willing to help Edlyn look for them.

They were walking across open country to get to Mirkwood, a situation that both reassured the young healer, since it made it easier for them to see danger, and scared her, since it made danger more easily able to see them. Even worse, the sun was setting fast. Soon the moon would be out and the risk of danger greater. Edlyn and Faen walked at a steady pace, looking around all the while searching for signs of danger. They both hoped and prayed that they wouldn't see or encounter anything dangerous.

Their prayers were not enough, as it turned out.

It didn't take long for the two of them to hear that bone chilling howl in the distance that they both knew all too well. Their heads snapped in the direction of the sound and they saw them; dozens of Warg riders heading right for them.

"Not again!" Faen said.

"There are too many of them, Faen." Edlyn said. "Run. RUN!"

And run they did. Edlyn ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Faen ran with her, but she didn't run far. She still hadn't quite gotten the hang of walking so running was no doubt a challenge for her; one she soon failed. They hadn't been running for very long when suddenly, Faen tripped and fell flat on her stomach. Edlyn immediately stopped and ran back for her. She did everything she could to help her up, urging her to stand. But she couldn't do it fast enough as the Wargs approached them at a frightening speed. They were practically right on top of them, in fact, and they knew they had no other choice now; they had to fight them.

Edlyn drew her sword and readied herself as the Wargs ran towards the duo. Once the first Warg charged at her, Edlyn sliced it across the shoulder. It let out a yelp and fell forward, causing its rider to tumble off its back. The rider then proceeded to get up and attack Edlyn with his weapon drawn; a challenge that she accepted. More Wargs approached them and started circling them while some of the orcs dismounted their steeds and tried to attack Edlyn as well. She fought them off as much as she could, although all she succeeded in doing was wounding a couple of them.

By this time, Faen was on her feet, grabbing orcs and Wargs in her beak and tossing them as far as she could. She even used her wings to knock a couple orcs off their steeds. But there were a lot more orcs now than there were before and more kept coming; it looked like they were going to be over powered. Nevertheless, they both fought with everything they had.

Suddenly, one orc ran underneath Faen and sliced her across the ankle with one swift swipe of his sword. Faen let out a screech and fell to the ground. At that moment, another orc tossed a rope and lassoed her around the neck. Before she could blink, more orcs swarmed in and started throwing ropes over her, tying her down despite her efforts to fight back. She was subdued and tied up before she even had a chance to stand.

 _ **"Not so great now, are you?"**_ One orc said with a snicker.

"FAEN, NO!" Edlyn shouted when she saw what they had done to her.

She tried to run to her aid. But she had barely moved an inch when she felt a burning, stinging pain on her scalp followed by her being violently thrown to the ground as an orc grabbed her by her long, loose braid and pulled her down. She was dragged across the ground, screaming from the pain and her sword ripped from her hand. Then, the orc pulled Edlyn to her feet, grabbed her left arm and twisted it hard behind her back, forcing her to her knees while still holding her by her hair.

 _ **"Not so fast!"**_ He said.

The healer tried to fight against his hold, but he only pulled tighter on her braid, making her hiss in pain and tears prick her eyes. Just then, another orc approached her and leaned down to look her right in the eyes.

 _ **"Well, look at what we have here."**_ He said. _**"Wait till Azog sees**_ _**this! That little imp will be in so much trouble when our master sees who we've caught."**_

Suddenly, she heard another howl in the distance and saw some more Warg riders approaching. They stopped several feet from away and despite the fact that it was dark, Edlyn immediately spotted the white Warg and its rider.

"Azog!" She gasped in fear. The pale orc dismounted and walked towards her.  
 _ **  
"Look master."**_ Said the orc that held her. _**"Look who we caught."**_

Azog stopped in front of them and looked down at Edlyn, his blood-shot blue eyes shifting between her and Faen. His face was stoic for a minute then a dark smirk crossed his face.

 _ **"Well…"**_ He said. _**"This is a surprise. These are two that I was not expecting to see alive since a certain someone told me they were dead."**_ He turned and looked towards the small group of riders who had arrived along side him. _**"Oh**_ _**Vragar!"**_ He said in a sing song voice that dripped with a sinister tone.

Edlyn followed his gaze and saw, to her complete shock, that orc from before; the one who had tried to capture her earlier. How did he survive? Faen said she had killed them all. But, there he was.

Vragar sat atop his Warg, his pale eyes widened in fear and panic as soon as he saw Edlyn and Faen. He looked at Azog and his fear grew when he saw the darkly expectant look on the pale orc's face.

 _ **"Vragar, come here."**_ Azog ordered.

Vragar hesitated, looking around to find some way to escape.

 _ **"NOW!"**_ Azog roared, making Vragar and some other orcs jump.

Reluctantly, Vragar dismounted and walked over to Azog with his usual waddle. He flinched when Azog gingerly put his arm around his shoulder and pulled him into a side hug, as one would do with a friend. However, everyone there could see the sarcasm and ill-intent hidden behind that normally friendly gesture.

 _ **"What is that?"**_ Azog asked, pointing to the young healer. Vragar didn't answer. _**"Because..."**_ Azog continued. _**"To me, that looks like the woman who was traveling with Thorin**_ _**Oakenshield, and that looks like the eagle that saved her. The same ones that you shot out of the sky and the same ones you claimed**_ _**you were forced to kill and burn their bodies."**_ Azog turned Vragar towards him and glared at him. _**"Now, they don't look like charred corpses to me, which means either you made a mistake, or...you lied to me."**_ He glared at him harder. _**"And**_ _**trust me, Vragar, no one is stupid enough to make a mistake like that. Not even you."**_

Vragar stared at him wide eyed. _**"I-I don't know how they survived, master."**_ He stammered. Then he stopped, realizing how stupid his excuse sounded when he saw the 'seriously' look Azog was giving him; a look that Edlyn never thought she'd ever see on the orc's face.

 _ **"Vragar, Vragar."**_ Azog said, shaking his head and motioning his son, Bolg, and another orc to step forward. _**"Even when you are staring**_ _**death in the face, you still can't stop lying, can you?"**_

Vragar didn't answer; he just kept looking up at Azog in fear.

 **"However,"** Azog continued. **"** _ **Contradictory to what you may believe, I'm not going to kill you. You're my best archer and I need you. So, I'm going to let you live."**_ Vragar let out a breath of relief. _**"Ah ah ah!"**_ Azog said, raising his hand. _**"I didn't say I was going to let you go unpunished."**_

He gave a nod to Bolg and the other orc. The two of them grabbed Vragar and held him. He fought against their hold as Azog reached into his belt and pulled out his knife.

 _ **"Do you know what my punishment for lying is, Vragar?"**_ Azog asked him as he lightly ran his finger along the blade. _**"No? Well then, let me show you."**_

He gave another nod to Bolg, who grabbed Vragar's jaw and forced his mouth open. Azog reached into his mouth and pulled his tongue out as far as it would go, bringing the knife closer to it. Even from where she was, Edlyn immediately knew where this was going and she quickly shut her eyes. However, she was unable to cover her ears to block out the bloodcurdling sound of Vragar's tortured screams as Azog started cutting his tongue out.

Azog performed the gruesome task slowly, cutting through Vragar's tongue as delicately as if it was a prime piece of meat, all the while not even flinching as blood started spraying out of the wound. He cut until the tongue was attached to his mouth by a thin piece of flesh. Then, with one quick yank, he ripped the tongue right out. Bolg and the orc let go of Vragar and he fell to his knees. Black blood gushed out from between his finger as his hands remained clamped over his mouth. He fell on his back and writhed on the ground, all the while screaming and shrieking in pain. It was, without a doubt, the most horrifying thing Edlyn had ever heard. Azog, meanwhile, simply stood over Vragar and laughed at his torture. Then he knelt down over the orc and grabbed his face, forcing him to look at him. He held up his black, bloody, dismembered tongue and dangled it in front of his face.

 _ **"This is just to prevent you from lying to me ever again."**_ Azog said with a dark chuckle, obviously amused by his own sick, twisted sense of justice.

Then, he stood up and, like someone tossing their dog a treat, he threw the tongue at his Warg, who caught it in its mouth and ate it. Vragar's eyes widened in horror at the sight and some other orcs ran to help him.

 _ **"Now,"**_ Azog said turning to Edlyn. _**"What are we going to do with this one?"**_

 _ **"Father."**_ Bolg said, stepping forward. _**"Why don't we take her with us?"**_ Azog looked at him curiously. _**"Take her to Dol Guldor with us."**_ Bolg continued. _**"We'll see what your master wants then we'll take her with us on the hunt. Use her as leverage. Offer her in exchange for**_ _**Oakenshield. He won't be able to resist. She obviously is valuable to them."**_

Azog put his hand on his son's shoulder. _**"Son, you know so little about our quarry. Oakenshield will not give his life for this woman. Her life**_ _**means less to him than his own. Nor will he take the time to retrieve her; his quest is too important to him for that. No, it**_ _**is better that we kill her now rather than burden ourselves with worthless weight."**_ Bolg nodded, and then he and Azog turned and headed for their Wargs. _**"Take off her head."**_ Azog ordered the other orc as he passed him. _**"Perhaps we will keep it as a gift for Oakenshield. And when you're done, kill the eagle too."**_

 _ **"My pleasure."**_ The orc said, drawing his sword and advancing towards the healer.

Edlyn may not have understood anything they had been saying but it was obvious to her what this orc was about to do. She struggled to escape the hold of the orc who was holding her, but he just pulled on her braid to make her stop. Faen let out a screech when she saw the peril that awaited her human companion and fought against her own restraints, but to no avail. The orc before Edlyn grinned at her wickedly with his sword at the ready, all too eager to take her head off as he was ordered. But, neither he nor anyone there knew that she already had a plan to escape.

While everyone else was distracted by what was happening with Vragar, Edlyn had used her right hand, her free hand, to secretly pull out one of Fili's knives that was hidden in her boot. That was something that Fili had taught her; how to keep smaller weapons well hidden on her person. She managed to keep the knife concealed in her hand and she waited for the right moment to use it. And now, as this orc was advancing towards her with his sword drawn, ready to behead her, Edlyn decided that it was the right moment.

However, she was unable to move since the orc that was holding her held her arm tightly behind her back and had a firm grip on her braid, preventing her from turning in either direction or reaching back and stabbing him. She had to free herself from him somehow and as far as she could tell, there was only one way to do it. It would be a small sacrifice but it would be a lot better than losing her head, so she went with it.

Quick as lightening, Edlyn whipped out the knife, reached up behind her head and cut the braid clean off, freeing herself from the orc's hold. The orc stumbled back in surprise and actually loosened his grip on her arm, allowing her the chance to rip herself from his grasp, spin around and sink the knife deep into his kneecap. The orc shrieked and fell over, clutching his wound. Edlyn ran forward and plunged the knife into his neck. The orc gurgled and bubbled as blood sprayed out of his wound and gushed out of his mouth before he went still.

Edlyn heard a yell and turned just in time to have that orc who was about to behead her before knock her in the mouth with the hilt of his sword, causing her to fall over onto her back.

She tasted blood and knew that her lip had been split, but that was of little concern to her as she looked up at the orc that was leaning over her with his sword drawn. He took a swing at her but she moved out of the way. In the process, she leaned up and slashed him across the stomach with the knife. The orc dropped his sword and stumbled backwards with a scream.

Edlyn quickly found out that the adrenaline rush she was experiencing had caused her to cut into him a lot deeper than she had thought when she saw his entrails start spilling out of his wound right before he fell down dead. Another orc charged at her, but she threw the knife and impaled him right between the eyes, killing him instantly. Edlyn immediately scrambled for her sword and stood up once it was in her hands, ready to take on any orc who dared attack her. A couple of them started to charge at her.

 _ **"WAIT!"**_ Azog ordered, causing them all to stop and look at him confused. The pale orc looked at Edlyn curiously as her pale blue eyes burned into his.

"LET HER GO!" She shouted, glaring up at him and not even caring if he understood her or not.

Her voice was shaky, as was her entire body. The adrenaline pulsed hot through her veins like molten metal. Her actions were irrational but she didn't care. Her only thought was saving herself and Faen, and she would cut down every orc present to do it, if she had to.

A look of amusement crossed Azog's face and he let out a devilish laugh. _**"I like this one."**_ He said. _**"She has spirit. And better still, she thinks she can actually win. How cute!"**_

The others laughed at his words. Edlyn didn't know what he said, but she could tell from the response he got that he was mocking her, and that made her confidence fade slightly. Azog continued to smirk evilly at her, and then he turned to the others.

 _ **"Lower your weapons, boys."**_ He said and they all obeyed. _**"It's my turn to play."**_

They all snickered as Azog grabbed his mace and walked towards the human girl. Her eyes widened and the adrenaline wore off as she realized what a horrible mistake she had just made. Azog was a lot bigger than she had previously thought; she saw that as the massive orc towered over her, grinning down at her with grisly intent flashing in his eyes. Fear gripped her like a vise and she knew that she had stepped in way over her head.

 _ **"This is going to be so much fun."** _ Azog said.

Then he let out a yell as he swung his mace at her. She dodged it and tried to lunge at him but he blocked her blow. He swung at her again and she ducked, but not before his mace succeeded in nicking her cheek, leaving a long cut. Her sword was knocked out of her hand when he swung at her once again and she fell to the ground.

Faen screeched helplessly and Edlyn tried to crawl for her sword. But she didn't succeed before Azog grabbed her by the ankle and dragged her towards him, lifting her up and pulling her against him. He had dropped his mace and wrapped his right arm around her neck. She couldn't breathe as Azog squeezed tighter, cutting off her air. He was trying to choke her! She started to panic, which only made breathing harder. She needed to think of some way to escape Azog's hold! But what could she do?! In the heat of the moment, she did the only thing she could think of doing.

Using her elbow, she hit him. She hit him in the most painful place for a male of any race to be hit; she hit him right where it counted. And she hit him bloody hard!

Immediately, Azog let go of Edlyn. She scrambled out of his hold as Azog fell to his knees, screaming in pain and clutching his groin. The other orcs all stopped, taken off guard by this sudden action on her part. None of them moved; they just looked at each other, unsure whether or not to intervene.

Edlyn, meanwhile, stood where she was, wide-eyed and completely shocked by what she had just done. Azog remained on his knees, grunting and hissing in pain and still clutching his now most likely swollen private part. There was a long silence after that before Azog looked up at the human. Any amusement that had been on his face before completely vanished and all that remained...was rage!

Azog let out a roar and grabbed his mace, standing to his feet and charged at Edlyn. She gasped, turned around and bolted for her sword as Azog practically ran towards her, screaming in rage.

 _ **"I'LL MURDER YOU! I'LL MURDER YOU, YOU LITTLE RAT!"**_ He bellowed.

Edlyn grabbed her sword and attempted to defend herself. But she barely got a chance to do it when suddenly, Azog violently knocked her sword out of her hand once again, causing the blade to accidentally bend back and slice her across her right forearm. She yelled in pain and clutched her wound. She was so distracted by it that she failed to notice Azog place his mace behind her legs, until it was too late. He swiped her legs out from underneath her, causing her to fall violently on her back with a painful thud. She gasped as Azog placed his booted foot on her chest, pinning her down. She tried to push his foot off of her, but he was too strong. The pale orc grinned darkly down at her, and then he leaned down and looked her right in the eyes.

"You're mine!" He snarled in the Common Tongue, just so that she understood the fate he had planned for her.

Edlyn's heart thundered hard underneath Azog's boot. She tried desperately to reach for her sword, but it was far out of her reach. Faen screeched angrily and fought against her restraints, but it was no use; she was just as helpless as Edlyn was. Azog grinned again in triumph and raised his mace, ready to strike her, bash her head in and crush her skull or something else of that gruesome nature.

And she could do nothing to save herself. She was trapped! Trapped like a rat! He was going to kill her!

And all she could do...was scream!

* * *

 **A/N:** I admit, I loved writing this chapter. For some reason I love writing the scenes with Azog; he is so much fun to write about. I think the reason why is because I just couldn't resist giving him a dark sense of humor. I know that's not exactly how Azog acted in the movie but I couldn't help myself. I love writing villains with a bit of a dark wit to go with their vile acts.

And yes, Edlyn did in fact elbow Azog in the nuts. You're welcome everyone!

Anyway, brace yourselves; I have a BIG surprise for you coming up in the next chapter!

 **Music:**

The music that plays when Edlyn faces off against Azog is **Ultimatum** by **Immediate Music.**

(song belongs to its respective owner).


	31. Book II CH 7: What Are You Doing Here?

**A/N : **Please pardon the not so slight _Deux Ex Machina_ that will take place in this chapter. The notes at the end will explain my reasons for putting it in, so read them when you get there. Also, there is some more bloody imagery but it's not as bad as the last chapter. This is another short-ish chapter as well.

* * *

 **~What Are You Doing Here?!~**

* * *

 _Pinned down by her enemy. His weapon, aimed to kill  
To seal her fate and fulfill his grim will  
But the Valar will spare her and Death, she'll evade  
When an unexpected rescuer comes to her aid_

* * *

The healer's screams echoed across the plain. They were mixed with the terrified and angry screeches of Faen as she fought against her restraints with no success. It seemed that the more she fought, the weaker she grew. Both their screams were mingled with Azog's frightening yell as he had his mace raised and was ready to strike Edlyn with it while she squirmed helplessly under his foot.

Her whole life flashed before her eyes! This was it! This was the end! She no longer wished to look at Azog since she knew what was coming so she shut her eyes, silently awaiting that fatal blow!

But, it never came.

All at once, she heard the familiar twang and whoosh of an arrow being released followed by Azog letting out an agonized shriek. She opened her eyes right when Azog removed his foot from her chest. She scrambled away from him as he stumbled backwards, dropping his mace and screaming in pain.

Even in the semi-darkness, she could still see the arrow that was now embedded in his outer left thigh. Azog pulled the arrow out with a yell then turned his head. Edlyn followed his gaze and soon saw who the arrow belonged to.

There were only two of them, but that didn't seem to stop them. They came running into the crowd of Warg riders with their weapons drawn. One had a sword and the other one had a bow and arrow; he was obviously the one who fired the first shot. However, the archer put his bow away and drew his own sword. The first one with the sword was wearing a blue cloak and the archer was wearing a brown cloak. Both their faces were hidden by their hoods.

However, Edlyn could tell by the way they moved, their speed, agility and how tirelessly they fought, they were obviously elves. They fought the orcs, killing a couple and wounding a few. She watched them, stunned and confused. Suddenly, the elf with the brown cloak came running over to her.

"Edlyn, are you alright?" He asked.

Edlyn started. How did he know her name?! Then suddenly, she recognized his voice; a voice that she had not heard since Rivendell.

"Meraell?!"

He pulled back his hood to reveal that she was right. The raven haired elf smiled at her, his green eyes flashing.

"It's good to see you again, Edlyn." He said as he offered her his hand and helped her up. He handed her sword to her that he had picked up on his way over.

"What are you doing here!?" She asked as she fended off an orc who tried to attack her.

"I followed you." He said simply as he stabbed another orc. "Or, more truthfully, I was tracking _them_." He pointed to the Warg riders that were attacking them.

"How?! Why?!" She shouted. "And why did you only bring one person with you!?" She looked over at the other elf whose hood was down; she couldn't tell if she recognized him or not.

"One moment." Meraell said as he turned around and stabbed the orc who tried to unsuccessfully attack him from behind with his sword. He turned to Edlyn afterwards. "Um, I don't think now is the best time to talk. I'll explain everything later."

"If we survive, sure!" She replied, feeling a mixture of fear, relief and anger.

Meraell smiled as they both continued to fight the orcs around them. But these orcs were relentless! They just kept on coming! Even the ones who were wounded wouldn't stop fighting.

 _ **"KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!"**_ Azog roared as he clutched his wounded thigh.

The orcs and the Wargs certainly didn't hesitate to obey. They started attacking them more and they fought them off as much as they could. Meraell and his elven companion fought with the usual stamina and tirelessness of the Elves, and Edlyn envied them for that.

"Meraell, duck!" Shouted the other elf.

Meraell obeyed and just missed the arrow that came flying towards him, instead hitting the orc who was trying to attack him from behind. Meraell looked and saw that the other elf had fired the arrow, and the two of them exchanged a nod. However, the other elf didn't notice the orc that was coming up from behind him and neither Edlyn nor Meraell were able to shout a warning to him until it was too late.

"NO!" Meraell shouted when the orc sliced the other elf's throat from behind and he fell to his knees, blood spraying out from between his fingers as he clutched his wound before falling over on the ground. Meraell immediately pulled out a knife and threw it at the orc, impaling him right through the chest, killing him. Meraell ran over to his fallen companion's side and lifted his head slightly.

 _ **"Stay with me, friend! Stay with me! Hold on!"**_ He said in Elvish.

The elf looked at him for a moment before going completely still. Seeing that his friend was gone, Meraell stood up and let out a yell, attacking every orc he encountered with a fierce fire burning in his emerald eyes. Edlyn had never seen that amount of ferocity in him. Then again, she hadn't known him that long. Suddenly, in the midst of his rage, an orc mounted his Warg and charged at him. Meraell was taken off guard and was barely able to dodge out of the way. However, as he passed him, the orc grabbed Meraell by the front of his shirt, causing him to drop his sword as the orc started dragging him along side him.

"Meraell!" Edlyn shouted as he was dragged off.

However, she soon found herself in deeper peril when she turned and found herself alone and surrounded by orcs.

 _ **"Kill the welp! Once and for all!"**_ Azog shouted. The orcs happily accepted the order and started closing in on her.

"Not again!" She said.

* * *

Meraell was dragged for some time. The Warg rider carried him far away from the others since he was the biggest threat. Without his sword, he was helpless. But this orc made the mistake of underestimating him. Quick as a wink, Meraell pulled yet another knife and plunged it deep into the Warg's thigh.

The Warg yelped and lost its footing, causing them all to tumble with Meraell soon jumping to his feet. Before the Warg was able to get up, Meraell leapt onto its back and drove his knife into the side of its neck, slicing it open. The Warg fell over dead and Meraell jumped off its corpse and faced the rider, who had ended up several feet away.

The orc pulled out his sword and grinned at the apparent advantage he had over his enemy. However, his grin quickly faded to a look of surprise when Meraell pulled out another sword that he had hidden in the back of his belt, since every elf carries two matching swords wherever they go. The two of them stared at each other for a moment and they were about to fight when suddenly, they both heard a loud roar come from the direction which they came. Both the orc and Meraell felt fear in their hearts at the sound.

That roar did not come from an orc or a Warg. It was something else entirely. Something different; something... monstrous!

* * *

 **A/N : **Yep, Meraell has returned! Well, I said he would eventually, didn't I? Of course, I realize that his return seems a bit abrupt and ludicrously convenient. There is a reason for that and I will explain it to you.

When I was originally developing this part of Book II after watching _Desolation of Smaug,_ I actually had no plans of bringing Meraell back. True, as I mentioned before, I felt bad about having him only be in the Rivendell scenes and had been thinking about, maybe, having him return to the story eventually. However, when I was developing this part of the story, Meraell's return was NOT part of the plan. In fact, when I had posted the previous chapter ("Caught") on DA, Meraell's return was never even a thought in my mind!

It wasn't until one of my readers over there (the same girl for whom I was writing the story originally) sent me a note and suggested that I bring him back. Actually, she was "guessing" that that was what I was going to do anyway, which I was not nor even thinking about at that time. I actually had another idea for how Edlyn (the reader in the other story) was going to get out of the situation, which I still ended up doing (that's why this chapter also ends on a cliffhanger). I was bit taken aback by the notion of bringing Meraell back right here and now, but I eventually decided to just do it, especially when I realized that Meraell's presence helped to smooth out some kinks I had in the storyline.

Therefore, bringing Meraell back was an incredibly, _incredibly_ last second decision! I had to quickly brainstorm and come up with an explanation as to why he was there, how he got there (etc), as well as figure out how I was going to fit him into the rest of the story. Eventually I found a way to make him fit (one that I ended up having way too much fun writing). But because of how last second it was, Meraell's appearance ended being a bit sudden and abrupt. Thankfully, everything will be explained more in a couple chapters and Meraell's role in the story will seem less like an extra piece crammed in later on.

In the mean time, can you guys guess what that monstrous roar belonged to?

 **Music:**

The music that plays when Meraell arrives is **Through Enemy Lines** by **Antti Martikainen.**

(song belongs to its respective owner)


	32. Book II CH 8: Bear Skin

**A/N** **:** Once again, this chapter contains some graphic imagery, as well as some non-sexual nudity. There is a brief mention of genitals but that's about it.

* * *

 **~Bear Skin~**

* * *

 _Ripping fangs, razor claws  
Brute strength and iron jaws  
From a man to a bear, his body will change  
An unusual being, mysterious and strange  
Standing alone as the last of his kin_  
 _No orc would dare face this changer of skin_

* * *

The roar tore through the air like a knife through flesh, making Edlyn's heart almost stop and every orc, even Azog, freeze where they were. Fear shown on all their faces; fear like she had never seen before. Another roar erupted and they all turned their heads in the direction from which it was coming from, and saw what it belonged to.

It looked like a bear, only it wasn't a bear, it couldn't have been. It was too big to be a bear, much too big. And there was something very...human like about the way it looked and the way it moved. It was covered in dark fur, whether black or brown, Edlyn could not tell in this light. It stood atop the small hill, looking down on them with its teeth bared and eyes flashing.

 _ **"The beast! It's the beast!"**_ Shouted Azog with a look of terror in his eyes.

The words were barely out of his mouth when the bear...creature...whatever it was, stood up on its hind legs, let out another roar and charged down the hill on all fours. The first unlucky orc that it encountered quickly got ripped to shreds in its claws. That was all it took for the rest of the orcs to scatter. It was chaos after that!

Orcs ran in all directions, many of them running only to end up trapped in the beast's jaws and torn in half. Several orcs tried to fire arrows at it but they were unsuccessful. Edlyn was forgotten by them, which she was incredibly thankful for. However, now she had this bear creature to worry about and she did not want to get caught by it. So, she decided to use the distraction as an opportunity to try and free Faen. She got up to run over to her with her sword in hand when suddenly, she was grabbed from behind and thrown to the ground.

She looked up and saw Vragar leaning over her and sneering. Black blood oozed out from between his teeth and down his chin after having his tongue viciously cut out by Azog. Edlyn frantically tried to crawl towards her sword which had flown from her hand and landed some ways away, but Vragar grabbed her and held her down. He pulled out a dagger, but before he could slice her throat, she kicked him in the stomach. Vragar stumbled backwards and doubled over, allowing the healer the chance to stand up. Vragar looked up at her with loathing burning in his eyes. Suddenly, his eyes widened with fear as they fell on something behind her. He quickly turned and ran, leapt onto his Warg and fled with the others.

 _ **"Retreat! Retreat!"**_ Azog yelled.

* * *

From where they were, Meraell and the orc could see Azog and the other Warg riders fleeing towards the South. But, as to what they were fleeing from, neither of them knew. The orc appeared indecisive. He looked back and forth between Meraell and the direction from which Azog's voice was coming from, trying to decide what to do.

Finally, he turned and ran, following the orders of his master to retreat. Meraell just watched him run away and he knew that he would not get far on foot. Very calmly, Meraell pulled out his bow and an arrow. He nocked the arrow then released it, sending it flying through the air and right through the orc's neck. Meraell knew he had hit his target when he saw the orc's fleeing silhouette fall to the ground. He stood there for a moment then he heard another monstrous roar come the same direction as before. He immediately started running towards the sound, hoping that he could get to Edlyn in time.

* * *

No sooner had the orcs fled then Edlyn turned and found herself face to face with the beast itself. The giant bear glared at her with its fangs bared and a growl emanating from its throat. She remained completely still, afraid that any sudden movement she made might cause it to attack her as she stared it down. She made a quick glance over and saw her sword lying several feet away and far out of her reach. She kept looking at the beast as she slowly started to inch over to it. However, she didn't get far when suddenly, the bear let another roar and charged at her, quickly tackling her to the ground.

She tried to fight it, but this creature a lot stronger...and a lot smarter...than she had thought. It succeeded in pinning her down by placing its left paw on her left arm and its right paw on her right arm. What surprised her, however, was that although its grip on her was firm, it wasn't rough. It was almost like it wasn't trying to hurt her, just subdue her. Of course, that certainly didn't calm Edlyn's fear so she tried to kick it and push it off of her with her foot. But the beast was undeterred by her actions as it leaned down and started sniffing her.

She turned her head away and held her breath, partly out of fear but mainly because the creature's own breath was horrible. The beast continued with its examination of her. Then suddenly, it pulled back. Edlyn slowly turned her head at the beast's sudden change in behavior and upon looking at it, saw that it was looking down at her with curiosity in its eyes and a slight tilt of the head, kind of like what Faen would do. She stared up at it in confusion, unsure what was about to happen. If this creature was really wild then it could have torn her apart by now, but it hadn't. So, what was it doing and what did it want? There was a silence as her and the beast stared at each other. Suddenly, the beast let out a growl and, to her utter shock, it began to change.

Little by little, the bear-like features of its body started to morph and become more human like. Within a matter of seconds, the creature had changed from a giant bear...into a giant man. Edlyn wasn't sure whether to be amazed or terrified at the transformation; possibly a mixture of both. She just stared up at him. He was a gigantic man, certainly larger than any man she had ever seen. He had a messy, brown mane with long, over sized mutton chops and brown eyes that were framed by big, bushy eyebrows. He was very muscular and, from what she could see, quite hairy too. The man...bear...whatever he was, tightened his grip on her arms, making it harder for her to move.

"You smell like my home." He said gruffly. His voice was low and deep with a bit of an accent.

Edlyn gave him a confused frown. "E-Excuse me?" She asked when she finally found her voice.

"Dwarf; you have a lingering scent of dwarf on you." He said. Then he leaned down and sniffed her. "And hobbit." He sniffed her some more. "And wizard too, among other things." He paused. "I know those scents; my home now reeks of them." He looked at her hard. "Who are you? What is your name?"

He asked the question quite harshly and Edlyn found herself stumbling over her words. "I-I...uh, well..I was...I'm..." She stammered.

"Well, out with it already!" He growled impatiently.

"Edlyn. My n-name is Edlyn." She replied quickly.

The man growled again and leaned down real close to her face. Obviously he had no regard for personal space.

"That's not possible." He said with a sneer, showing off his fanged teeth. "Don't lie to me!"

"Lie!?" Edlyn said, her fear quickly being replaced with anger. She hated being called a liar, especially when she wasn't. "I most certainly am not lying!"

She was amazed and terrified at her own boldness. The man pulled away, obviously taken aback by her sudden outburst.

"My name IS Edlyn, daughter of Deogol and I'm from Rohan, if you want to know!" She practically shouted.

He looked at her for a moment. "You're not lying. I can smell it." He said. Then to her surprise, his face suddenly softened a bit. "Pale blue eyes, frizzy dark hair, and you're even wearing that moonstone necklace he described."

He looked at her moonstone necklace which she had succeeded in not losing throughout it all. Edlyn gave him another confused look, but he just smirked in reply before letting out a hearty laugh.

"Well, bless my fur!" He said as he let go of her and pushed himself off the ground, standing at his full height which looked to be about eight feet. "What a surprise! You survived! But, as to how you did, I do not know. Oh, but if only that grey wizard and his friends were still here! Just imagine the looks on their faces if they saw you!"

Edlyn's heart leapt at his words. "Grey wizard? You mean Gandalf?!"

"Of course I mean Gandalf." He said, as if it was obvious. "Unless there is another grey wizard that I don't know of."

"Gandalf?! Gandalf the Grey?! He was here?!" She asked excitedly.

"Must I repeat myself?" He answered in slight annoyance. "Yes, he was here. He and his company lodged at my home. They left almost two days ago."

Edlyn's heart sank slightly. She had hoped that they'd still be there. But at least she knew she was on the right track and she wasn't that far behind them.

"Oh, and by the way, my name is Beorn." The man said, offering her his hand to help her up.

Edlyn looked at his hand with an unsure expression. That was when she suddenly realized that Beorn was completely naked, which she saw when she looked down and accidentally got a good look at his...uh...rather large member.

"Oh good gracious!" She said, quickly turning and shielding her eyes from the all too revealing view she had.

"What?" Beorn asked confused.

He looked down and realized that she was reacting to his nudity. However, he didn't seem to be the least bit embarrassed by it.

"Oh, that? Don't worry about it." He said casually. "I walk around in naught but my skin quite often. Doesn't bother me."

"Well, how very nice for _you_." Edlyn said, still trying to keep her eyes covered.

"You're a funny girl." He said with a shake of the head as he leaned forward and gently grabbed the healer and hoisting her onto her feet with her gasping the whole time.

Once Edlyn was on her feet, she thanked him, all the while trying to keep eye contact with him and focus on what was above the waist, not below it. Suddenly, they heard the sound of footsteps and upon turning saw Meraell running towards them. The healer breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he was alright. He, however, stopped and raised his eyebrows in surprise when he saw her standing there with a big, hairy, naked man.

"An elf?" Beorn said. "Another surprise."

"Edlyn, who is this?" Meraell asked, looking at Beorn suspiciously.

"Oh uh, Meraell, this is Beorn, is it?" She asked him. He nodded, looking rather unsure about Meraell's presence. "And Beorn, this is Meraell." She looked at Meraell. "Beorn saved my life." Her and Beorn exchanged a small smile.

Meraell studied Beorn for a moment. "You're a skin-changer, aren't you?"

"Indeed I am, elf." Beorn replied.

"Skin-changer?" Edlyn asked.

"Shape-shifters." Meraell answered. "Non-magical beings able to take the form of animals, mainly bears." Then he turned to Beorn. "I didn't know that there were any still around."

Beorn's face fell slightly. "There aren't. I'm the last one, as far as I know. Most of them had been killed by the Defiler."

"I'm sorry." Edlyn said.

Beorn shrugged and gave her a weak smile. There was a short silence after that, and then suddenly Edlyn remembered something very important.

"Oh no! Faen!" She said.

She turned and ran towards her. Both Beorn and Meraell watched her in confusion that was quickly replaced with complete surprise when they saw Faen. Apparently, neither of them noticed her presence since she had grown very quiet over the course of everything.

"By the Valar!" Meraell exclaimed.

"An eagle too?!" Beorn said. "It's just one surprise after another, isn't it? Don't tell me you have more unusual friends with you."

Edlyn shook her head in response and grabbed another one of Fili's knives that was hidden in her other boot, sheepishly remembering that she had forgotten where she had put it before. She started cutting Faen's bonds until she was completely free. Faen slowly shook the ropes off and looked at her.

"Mouse? Are you alright?" She asked weakly.

"I'm fine." Edlyn said. "Are you alright?"

"I think so." She said.

She tried to stand but couldn't. Edlyn looked down and saw a large gash across the back of her leg from where the orc had slashed her before. The healer let out a sigh, as did Faen.

"Well, that's just brilliant!" She said sarcastically. "First my wing and now my leg. All of the sudden, I've become injury prone."

"Well, I haven't been doing too well either." Edlyn said, showing her the cut on her arm from her sword. "At least we're alive." Faen nodded in agreement.

"Hey, elf!" They heard Beorn shout.

They all turned and saw that Beorn had wandered off and was inspecting the corpses of the orcs and had taken a particular interest in that one orc that Edlyn had accidentally gutted before.

"Did you do this?" He asked Meraell. Meraell shook his head. Beorn looked at Faen. "Did you do this, eagle?" Faen shook her head and turned to Edlyn.

"She did it." She said.

Beorn's thick eyebrows shot up as he looked at the human in disbelief. "You? You did this?" He said, pointing to the orc who lay dead with his innards spilled out.

"Yes, I did." She replied sincerely.

Beorn looked back and forth between her and the dead orc before letting out a laugh and clapping his hands together. "Ha! That's impressive! A little woman like yourself successfully gutting an orc of this size. Now that it is something that I would love to have seen!" He smiled at her. "I like you already."

Edlyn looked over at Meraell and saw him give her an amused smirk while she looked at him with a cocked eyebrow.

"Alright, mouse." Faen said. "Who's the elf and who's this big naked man?"

Edlyn laughed and introduced her to Meraell and Beorn. Afterwards, Faen tried to stand again, but let out screech and fell to the ground.

"Easy, easy." She said to Faen. "You can't stand, not with that injury. Which means it's safe to say that you can't walk either. We need to take care of your wounds. Plus, it's getting dark and we need someplace to stay for the night."

"You can come and lodge at my home." Beorn offered. They all looked at him in surprise. "I live not that far away from here. I'm always willing to take in wounded creatures. Besides, that's what your friends did and any friend of Gandalf is a friend of mine."

Meraell leaned closer to Edlyn. "Can we trust him?" He asked in a whisper.

"Gandalf trusted him." She replied. "And if Gandalf can trust him then I think we can."

"What if he was lying about that?" Faen asked.

"I don't think he is." Edlyn said. "He seems sincere. And if he is just a skin-changer like Meraell said and not a sorcerer, I don't know how else he would know about Gandalf and the others unless he was telling the truth."

"Well?" Beorn said impatiently. "Quit your whispering! I don't see much reason for you to stay out here tonight, not with all those Wargs running around. Do you accept my offer or not?"

Edlyn looked at him. "Yes. If it's not too much trouble for you, we will lodge with you." Faen and Meraell nodded in agreement.

"Excellent!" Beorn said. "Besides, I'm really curious to hear about what happened to you. Gandalf already told me what happened to him and the company. But now, I want to hear about what happened to you. And with an elf and an eagle involved, I'm even more curious. Just wait right here for a minute." With that, he turned around. "This evening just keeps getting more interesting!" He said to himself as he changed into his bear form and ran off. Edlyn, Faen and Meraell just sat there and waited for him to come back.

"I'm sorry, mouse." Faen said suddenly after several minutes.

"For what?" Edlyn asked with a frown.

"Slowing you down." She replied. "Me and my stupid injured wing. I've been nothing but a useless burden to you. If I hadn't been slowing you down, you never would have gotten caught by the orcs. And if it wasn't for my recklessness, we wouldn't be stranded out here in the first place. You should have left me behind."

"Faen, look at me." Edlyn said. She obeyed. "You need to stop apologizing. None of this is your fault. Misfortune happens to everyone and the only thing to blame is Fate. And you have not been a useless burden. You saved my life. Twice! I would have fallen off that cliff if it wasn't for you. And you've been a wonderful companion to me the whole time. Without you, I'd lose my mind. In fact, I couldn't be gladder that I got stranded with you. It was a blessing from the Valar and I thank them for it."

Faen looked at her and her grey eyes softened with understanding. "Thanks, mouse." She said, placing her forehead against hers. "And I'm sorry about your hair. I know that long hair is a mark of beauty among your kind, so I'm sorry that you had to lose it."

"It's not so bad." Edlyn said with a shrug. "Besides, it was either my hair or my head. My hair will grow back, my head, not so much. And I would like to keep my head. So, I can live with it."

Faen laughed at her remark.

 _"Although, it will take some getting used to."_ She said to herself as she ran her fingers through her now short hair.

As long as she could remember, she always had long hair. It was almost down to the middle of her back before but now, it just barely touched her shoulders. It was a huge difference, but there was nothing she could do about it now except endure it.

Edlyn turned and noticed that Meraell was no longer next to her. She looked over and her heart fell when she saw him some ways off, kneeling over the lifeless body of his fallen companion. She got up and walked over to him. As she got closer, she looked down at the dead elf and suddenly, she recognized him! It was Ralla, the elf that had ridden ahead to inform Elrond of their arrival in Rivendell. He was lying there on the ground and his dark, lifeless eyes were still open, staring up at the sky.

"I'm sorry." Edlyn said quietly.

Meraell looked up at her and she saw the pain and sorrow in his emerald eyes. "He had been my friend for many years." He said. "We fought together and he was one of the finest in my troop. And he had been the truest of companions through out our journey together." He looked down at Ralla's still form. " _Losta-maer, hanar_." He said as he placed his palm over Ralla's eyes and closed them. Faen watched sadly from where she was.

* * *

Beorn came back after about an hour of being gone. He had with him a large cart pulled by about six or seven oxen. And...he was still naked. With a little help from the livestock, they were able to hoist Faen onto the cart since she obviously wouldn't have been able to walk to Beorn's house with her injury. Beorn made a point to burn the corpses of the orcs after Edlyn and Meraell had retrieved their weapons from them.

Meraell buried the body of his friend by a nearby tree, performing a short Elven ceremony that was all foreign to the young healer. During the ride to Beorn's home, she sat near the front of the cart with Faen while Meraell sat near the back. She didn't speak to him the whole ride since she knew he probably didn't want to after burying his friend. The ride was long and rough since there were plenty of small hills and rocks to go over. But Beorn maneuvered the oxen quite well, making the ride less rough than it could have been.

"There it is; my home." Beorn said as they exited a small patch of forest into a large clearing.

Before them, they saw a house surrounded by a large fence covered in moss and vines. Upon entering the fenced in establishment, they found themselves going down a stone pathway that led to a large house made out of stone and wood. Edlyn stared in wonder at all the beautiful sights around her as Beorn sang a hearty tune on their way in. There were beehives lined up along the pathway, obviously used to harvest honey. There were bumblebees flying all over the place. However, they were a lot larger than regular bumblebees. Edlyn dare not try to swat one of them away.

Even though it was evening, there were also some hummingbirds flying around. They were beautiful little creatures, colored in many vibrant colors. Some of them fluttered right in front of their faces, looking at them with curiosity. One little hummingbird was even brave enough to land on Edlyn's shoulder. She reached up to pet it but it quickly flew away. She discovered right afterwards that the hummingbird had only landed on her shoulder to relieve itself. Beorn let out an amused laugh as she wiped the droppings off her shoulder with a disgusted look on her face. That same hummingbird started flying around Faen's head and she started snapping at it like she was trying to catch it and eat it. But it just flitted away without a care in the world.

Once they had stopped in front of the house, Meraell helped Edlyn off the cart and they followed Beorn to the door.

"Welcome to my home, little one." He said as he opened the door to let them in.

Right away, Edlyn was greeted with a warm, inviting atmosphere that was complete with the scent of honey and livestock, which really wasn't so bad.

And for the first time since she had been separated from the company, she felt comfortable and safe.

* * *

 **A/N** **:** First off, let me apologize for burning the image of naked Beorn into your brains. But it just seemed natural for skin-changers to not wear clothes when they change from one form to another and to not be fazed by it.

Also, you guys may have noticed that Beorn is acting a little differently in my story. That's because I based his personality more off of the way he was in the book. I didn't like what Peter Jackson did to him in the movies. I didn't like that they toned his character down and made him more soft spoken, colder and more unfriendly and wild.

I missed Tolkien's Beorn! I missed the big, loud, boisterous guy who was warm and friendly but still adorably suspicious of outsiders. I missed the eccentric, jolly guy who had trained small animals to serve food and loved hearing stories. I missed the complex guy who sometimes got grumpy and impatient and had a merciless hatred towards Wargs, orcs and other vile things. I missed the strong, powerful skin-changer who could control his bear form and didn't take crap from anyone. Basically, I just missed the Beorn I know and I wanted to bring him back.

However, in terms of appearance, I kept the look he had in the films. Because I don't care what anyone says, I stinking love Beorn's look in the movies! I love his wild porcupine mane, large oversized mutton chops and bushy eyebrows! True, it's a little cartoony but it's also crazy unique and, in my opinion, it fits better with the character's original personality; eccentric, just like Beorn is.

I also kept the new backstory they gave him in the films. I wasn't going to originally but after watching _The Battle of the Five Armies_ and seeing how they neglected Beorn and denied him the chance to get revenge, I decided to keep it and allow Beorn the revenge he deserves.

 **Sindarin translations:**

 _Losta-maer, hanar_ =Sleep well, brother.

 **Music:**

The music that plays when Beorn arrives is **With an Iron Fist** by **Immediate Music.**

The music that plays during the hummingbird scene is **Painted World** by **Two Steps from Hell.**

(songs belong to their respective owners)


	33. Book II CH 9: Out of Reach

**~Out of Reach~**

* * *

 _A love, unrequited. A love, not returned_  
 _She was out of his reach, yet his heart still yearned  
She loved another who loved her as well  
So, the true depth of his own love, he dare not tell  
For he knew of the torment she'd have to withstand  
Holding the hearts of two men in the palm of her hands_

* * *

Later that evening, after bathing and having dinner, Edlyn was sitting on a special made bed up in the loft of Beorn's home. She was wearing a dark grey, sleeveless tunic dress that went down to just below her knees and laced up on the sides. Beorn had made it for her when she was bathing as a temporary outfit while he patched up all the rips and tears in her other clothes and washed all the orc blood off of them.

Faen was down below in the barn area with the livestock since it was the most spacious place for her in regards to her size. She was in her own separate stall and all the animals had become wary of her since eagles had been known to eat livestock such as themselves. But, Edlyn had made a point to remind her over and over again not to eat any of the animals here and so far, she had behaved herself. Edlyn had succeeded in binding her injured leg using what supplies Beorn was able to provide for her, which was really just some cotton cloth wraps and some herbs he had available that she used to make a paste to disinfect the wound. They weren't the best herbs to use. But they were better than nothing and she thanked Beorn for them.

However, as to where her host was at the moment, she did not know; he kind of disappeared not long after dinner. Not that Edlyn questioned his behavior ever. She had pretty much come to the conclusion that Beorn was a very strange being the second she had met him. But despite that, she actually liked him. He was really friendly although a bit eccentric. He almost reminded her of a more robust version of Radagast; she wouldn't have been the least bit surprised if they knew each other, in fact.

Her only complaint was that Beorn had started calling her 'squirrel' since he said that she reminded him of one, kind of like how Faen called her 'mouse' all the time. Now, as to why most of the people that she met on this misadventure she was on felt the need to nickname her after small rodents, she did not know. And it irritated her to no end. Thankfully, he didn't use it that often.

* * *

Edlyn sat alone in the loft, looking over her injured arm and mixing up some of the herbs when she looked over and saw Meraell climbing up the ladder. He was clothed in his undershirt, trousers and boots.

"Faen is sound asleep." He informed her as he sat down in front of her. "I don't think anything will be able to wake her up."

"Well, she has had a very trying day." Edlyn replied. "Where's Beorn?"

"He went out to search for anymore Wargs who are still lurking around." He replied. "Apparently, that's what he was doing when he found us."

"Thank goodness he was!" She said. "And where did you disappear to, if I may ask?"

"I disappeared to bring you this." He said as he pulled out a small bunch of Athelas from behind his back. "For you, my lady." He said, presenting the Athelas to her like a bouquet of flowers.

She smiled. "Why, thank you, good sir." She said as she took the healing herb from him.

"I thought that you might like some better quality herbs than the ones that Beorn gave you." He said. "However, that was all I was able to find at the moment."

"It's alright." She said. "We'll look for more tomorrow. And thank you."

Meraell smiled lightly in response. Edlyn then crushed up the Athelas, mixed it with the other herbs and applied it to the wound. It stung a little, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. Meraell watched intently as she started wrapping the wound. However, the task of doing so proved to be a very difficult and awkward one since she had to use her left hand while her right hand was pretty much useless and it resulted in a messy and poorly wrapped bandage that she was unable to tie.

"Here, allow me." Meraell offered.

Edlyn nodded and offered him her injured arm. He undid the messy wrapping and started over again bandaging her arm.

"So…" He said, still focused on his task. "You tried to go up against Azog the Defiler alone?" Edlyn looked at him for a moment then nodded. "That was foolish, Edlyn. What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't thinking." She replied. "I was trying to save Faen and it clouded my judgment. You know as well as I that no one in their right mind would ever try to go up against the Pale Orc by themselves." She paused. "Well, Thorin did it a couple times, but as I said, no one in their right mind."

Meraell gave her a soft smile in response. "I'm sure Thorin would be proud." Edlyn couldn't help but chuckle at that remark. "Just so you know, I like your hair this length." Meraell said.

The young healer cocked her eyebrow at him and he just smiled softly. Meraell finished wrapping the bandage and started tying it. However, he ended up tying the last knot a bit tight, causing her to gasp in pain and pull her arm back.

"Forgive me." He said apologetically.

"It's inevitable. Don't apologize." She replied with a smile and Meraell returned it. She looked at him for a moment. "Why did you follow me?" She asked suddenly.

Meraell looked up at her. "I told you, I was tracking Azog. I heard from an orc we had captured that Azog had put a bounty on Thorin Oakenshield's head. I knew it would only be a matter of time before he would go after you and the others. I had hoped that I could stop him before he did."

"Does Lord Elrond know that you were tracking them?"

"No." Meraell said after a pause. "In fact, he advised me not to get involved. He said that it was not our business." He smirked. "But, I'm sure that he won't be all that surprised when he does find out."

"So, you decided to sneak off without telling anyone?" Edlyn asked. He nodded and she gave him a bewildered look. "And you say what _I_ did was foolish!? Meraell, you tried to hunt down and stop Azog and his entire hunting party alone."

"I wasn't alone, I had Ralla with me."

His face fell and he turned his eyes away. Edlyn's chest tightened, remembering what had happened.

"He wasn't even supposed to come." Meraell said quietly. "I was supposed to be alone. But he found out what I was going to do and he insisted that he come as well. I couldn't say no. We had been friends for many years and I would have trusted him with my life." He paused. "I just wished he could have trusted me with his."

Edlyn reached forward and put her hand on his arm. "It wasn't your fault. Don't blame yourself." She said softly.

He gave her a weak smile. There was silence between them for a while.

"I still don't know what could have possessed you to go against Elrond's orders and follow us." Edlyn said after a while. "There was no need for you to protect us, or me. We were with Gandalf the Grey, we were in good hands."

He shrugged. "I had a feeling. Call it instinct, if you like. I felt that you were in danger and that I needed to save you. And I'm glad I did. Aren't you?"

"Well, yes." She replied. "But I don't know how you could have possibly known that I would get separated from the company and nearly get killed by orcs. And why would you risk your life for me anyway?"

"I think you already know the answer to that, Edlyn." He said softly.

She looked at him and saw that look in his eyes. The same look he gave her that first night in Rivendell when they were dining with Elrond and the last night when they were in the garden together. It was that look of warm admiration and affection. Her heart thudded hard remembering what had happened between them.

Edlyn let out a sigh. "Meraell, I already told you. If we ever met again, we would meet as friends and only friends."

"And as I said back in Rivendell; that is more than I could ever ask for." He replied. "Just because I have accepted that we will only be friends doesn't mean that my feelings for you are just going to disappear. Sometimes, I wish they would." He paused. "Now, I know I feel something towards you. But, whether or not it's love, I don't know yet. It might not be. But I'm not going to let that stop me from protecting you at all costs."

Edlyn smiled. "You're really not like the other elves, are you?"

"How do you mean?"

"Well, I've never met an elf who was so heavily driven by his emotions."

"Have you known many elves?"

"Not really."

He smiled. "Well then, you wouldn't really know, would you? There are some like me; others who show their emotions more. Then there are others who don't. But just because elves are usually good at keeping their emotions in check doesn't mean we don't have any."

"I didn't say that."

"I never said you did." He replied. There was a pause before he spoke again. "You still haven't told me who he is yet." Edlyn looked at him curiously. "The other man; the one who possesses your heart. I would like to know who he is." She hesitated. "It's alright." Meraell said with a smile. "I want to know who he is since he makes you so happy."

She blushed slightly. "His name is Fili and he's a dwarf. He is of the line of Durin and Thorin Oakenshield's eldest nephew."

"One of the company, no doubt." Meraell said. Edlyn nodded. "Has he seen the light yet?"

"Yes. I told him how I felt and he told me that he felt the same way."

Meraell smiled at her words. However, when she looked in his eyes, she saw a small glimmer of pain and it caused a knot of guilt to form in her chest. However, she didn't say anything about it. She just turned and looked out the window into the dark night.

"I wonder were he is right now." She said.

"That's a question you can ask Beorn in the morning." Meraell said. "But right now, you need to sleep. Like your eagle friend, you have had a very trying day."

"Will you sing for me, Meraell?" Edlyn asked. He gave her a surprised look. "Please? I haven't heard an Elvish song since Rivendell and it will help me relax."

Meraell smiled. "Of course I will."

She smiled back and laid herself down on the bed, pulling the cover over herself in the process. Meraell sat down next to her. He gave her a smile and softly began to sing.

 _Hön'marën kena-uva kala_  
 _ **(My heart shall see the light)**_  
 _Indönya ullumeá_  
 _ **(Our hearts shall be forever)**_  
 _Nör'ande sëra mi lorien_  
 _ **(Go forth, rest in Dreamland)**_  
 _Îm'eri ratö naya_  
 _ **(I'll soon be there)**_  
 _Larya nîn mëlissè_  
 _ **(Wait for me, my love)**_  
 _Le sinte îma sinomë_  
 _ **(You know I'm here)**_  
 _Ána sama lemî oloorë_  
 _ **(To join you in dreams)**_  
 _Le ar'uunèr ana kaurë_  
 _ **(You have nothing to fear)**_  
 _Uur'anor wannëa_  
 _ **(Fiery sun, begone)**_ **  
** _Isilme va'arya_  
 _ **(Moonlight, protect us)**_  
 _Telume siila tere_  
 _ **(Heaven's' star, shine though)**_  
 _Na'are utumno wanya_  
 _ **(Flame of hell, vanish)**_  
 _Erüma, helkàda_  
 _ **(Lonely voice, cold and bare)**_  
 _Raanè, ressè_  
 _ **(Wandering alone)**_  
 _Lörna à'kuilä_  
 _ **(Asleep, yet awake)**_  
 _Vàrna mi'olör_  
 _ **(Safe in dreams)**_  
 _Türma ei ràumo_  
 _ **(Shelter from the storm)**_  
 _Sinomë_  
 _ **(Here)**_

Meraell stopped once the song was done and when he looked down at Edlyn, he found that she had fallen asleep. He smiled softly and gazed at her for a moment. She looked so peaceful, so content, and so...beautiful. He reached his hand towards her to caress her cheek or maybe even stroke her hair, but he pulled back before he could complete the task. He dare not touch her in such a manner. Not when he knew that she now belonged to another. He could never do that, not to her lover, not to himself and not to her.

He had not been entirely truthful with her before. He said that he did not know what his feelings for her were, but that was not true. It was love, he knew it was. He loved her more than anything. He loved her with the purest kind of love; the love of an elf.

The two of them had talked to each other many other times during the company's two week stay in Rivendell and each time, Meraell saw who Edlyn was a little more. She was beautiful in so many ways; sad and haunting, but beautiful nevertheless. Each time he found himself loving her even more. But he never really told her just how deep his love was. And he dare not, especially now.

He knew the torment it would cause her if she knew that two men loved her in the deepest way and the guilt she would feel knowing that she would only end up hurting him since she did not return his love. And besides, even if she did, it would never work since he was an immortal elf and she was a mortal human.

So, he was going to spare them both that torture by keeping his love a secret; by keeping his pain a secret. The song he sang to her was sung in Elvish, so that she would not understand the deepness of some of the words and what they meant to him. That song was his way of confessing his love for her without her even knowing. Only he and the Valar above knew the truth, and that was how it was going to stay.

Quietly, Meraell got up and made his way down the ladder, leaving Edlyn alone in the loft, asleep. He didn't really sleep that night since elves don't often sleep. He just walked out the door and seated himself on the stone steps, staring up at the moon, lost in thought and memory.

And that is where he stayed for the remainder of the night.

* * *

 **A/N** **:** Time and time again, I re-read this chapter and hate myself for doing this to Meraell. He is such a sweet character as you'll see later (a bit Gary Stu-ish but oh well) and he doesn't deserve to be, dare I use the word, friendzoned. I felt really bad about putting him through this, and that's why I decided to bend the rules a bit concerning Tolkien Elves and their love lives.

I'm not sure if Elves only fall in love once in their lives or if they just marry once in their lives but can fall in love more than once. I was never quite clear on that (Tolkien experts, feel free to enlighten me). Nevertheless, I might, actually, I have possibly bent the rules a bit and allowed Meraell to find love again. So, a little spoiler for you guys today; Meraell will end up falling in love with someone else later because he deserves to be happy! I won't say who it is, though. You'll find out in time.

 **Music:**

The song that Meraell sings is **Lullaby from a Distant Land** by **Forest Elves** (I think). It's sung in Quenya.

The music that plays in the background of this scene is **Elven Sanctuary** by **Brandon Fiechter.**

(songs belong to their respective owners)


	34. BookII CH 10: Some Folks We Never Forget

**A/N** **:** First off, I should warn you that this chapter is very emotional. It's also very long because I inserted an extended scene in that I had written long after the fact. I will be putting other extended scenes in later, so it's like you guys will be reading the Extended Edition of my story. Anyway, you'll see where the extended scene begins and ends because it is outlined with a double asterisk (**). I added some things before and after the scene to make it blend in better with the rest of the story.

* * *

 **~Some Folks We Never Forget~**

* * *

 _Fourteen companions gather together  
In memory of the friend they lost forever  
Words of love they each lay down  
Even the burglar, the lover & the king with no crown  
But none of them know, with the eulogy each gives  
That all of them mourn for one who still lives_

* * *

Edlyn was awakened the next day by the glare of the sun in her eyes. When she opened her eyes and looked around, for a moment she forgot where she was. Then, she remembered; she was in Beorn's loft. She sat up slightly and stretched. When she looked over, she was pleasantly surprised to see her other clothes, cleaned, patched up and folded neatly right next to the bed, ready for her.

Edlyn smiled then looked around to make sure no one was watching before she removed the tunic dress she was wearing and slipped on her grey trousers, blue tunic and belt. She decided to go bare foot and not bother with putting the boots on. She almost was about to put her hair up in a braid out of habit. But as soon as she did she remembered that her hair was too short for that now. Oh well. She shrugged and made her way down the ladder.

Once down, Edlyn silently took a look around her host's home. The first thing she noticed (although she noticed this the night before) was that everything was huge! Tables, chairs, everything was bigger than they should have been. It was all too big for her, but obviously it was all the right size for a man as massive as Beorn was. The next thing she noticed was that everything was a bit quiet. There didn't appear to be anyone else in the house at that moment. Well, not exactly.

The young healer walked past the barn area and saw all of Beorn's animals in their stalls. Some of them turned and looked at her with curious eyes. She saw Faen in one of the back stalls, sound asleep with her head tucked under her wing. Edlyn smiled fondly at her and quietly tip toed past so she didn't wake her. She continued to look around, wondering where everyone was. Meraell was nowhere to be found and Beorn was absent as well. She walked outside into the front yard of Beorn's home and walked down the stone steps. From what she could see, the sun was a bit high in the sky which meant that it was a bit late in the morning. But, she was still a little sleepy so she could not tell just how late. She looked around and her eyes were dazzled by the beauty that surrounded her, a smile being drawn out of her in the process.

"Well, hello there!"

Edlyn practically jumped at the suddenness of that deep, booming voice and spun around to see Beorn walking towards her with two large pails of water that he had just gotten from his well. Thankfully, he wasn't naked and was wearing a brown, sleeveless wool tunic, brown pants and brown boots. He set the pails down, letting out a chuckle at her reaction to his greeting.

"You're a jumpy little squirrel, aren't you?" He said.

Edlyn rolled her eyes a bit. "Well, after what happened last night, can you blame me?"

"True." He replied. "It's about time you woke up. For a moment there I thought you were going to sleep all day. It's nearly midday already."

"Midday?" She said in surprise. "Wow, I really was tired, wasn't I?"

"Well, after an encounter with Wargs like that, it's not surprising." He said. "Where's your eagle friend?"

"She's still asleep." She said. "I don't want to wake her yet. Do you know where Meraell is?"

"The elf?" He asked. She nodded in reply. "He's out somewhere. I don't know where. He didn't tell me where he was going. He just said he was going out. Elves are very strange creatures, you know. Anyway, he's been gone most of the morning. But I'm sure he'll be back." He paused. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes, I'm starving actually!" She said, suddenly realizing just how hungry she was.

"Well, in that case." He said as he led her inside.

* * *

Edlyn sat down at his table, which went up to her bust. Beorn gave a whistle and right away, some small ponies came and started setting up plates and utensils for them. There were even some dogs that walked around on their hind legs like people, serving food up with their fore paws. Edlyn thought that was the most extraordinary thing!

Like the night before, there was no meat on the table; just plenty of nuts and fruits, mainly berries. There were vegetables, bread, milk and cheeses of all types. And honey, lots of honey. Edlyn didn't mind the food choices. In fact, she had been eating nothing but small rodents and fish for almost a week, so this was a pleasant change. She ate vigorously and Beorn poured some milk into her over sized cup, chuckling with both amusement and pride at her enthusiasm with the meal.

All the while, they exchanged stories. She finished telling him all about her adventures since she had started telling him the night before but ended up stopping right at the Carrock part. Beorn listened with interest, and then he told her what Gandalf had told him about their adventures after she was separated. From what he said, she figured she was about a few days or so behind them. Also, it seemed that, according to Beorn, the entire company was alive and unharmed, which she was incredibly relieved to hear. She still had a couple question for the skin-changer and slowly built up the courage to ask the first one.

**"Beorn." She said in a somewhat inquiring tone. "You said that you were the last of your kind. Surely that can't be true. There are others, right?"

The softness on Beorn's face disappeared and his eyes filled with a dark mixture of anger and grief. He turned his back on her and faced the wall. Edlyn immediately felt a sting of regret at having asked what she could easily see was a painful question for the skin-changer, and probably a dangerous one for her. However, before she was able to verbally dismiss him from having to answer, he spoke.

"As far as I know, there are no others." He said with a grim tone. "As far as I know, everyone I ever loved is dead."

He turned and looked at her. His eyes were filled more with sorrow now than any kind of rage.

"There used to be many of us." He said quietly. "There were women and children as well as men. We were a race, our own people. We were proud, strong and we prospered. I had a wife and a little daughter; with them I was happy and never alone. But all that was stolen when Azog and his filthy breed came down and invaded our settlements. We were all captured and chained up like animals!"

The sorrow in his eyes was quickly replaced with a mounting rage. Edlyn's heart started pounding hard in fear at the sight of it.

"We were tortured, scarred, hunted, whipped and starved!" He said with a poisonous growl. "And Azog laughed! Every time one of us screamed or cried or begged for mercy, he just laughed! Then, he slaughtered them all! By luck, I somehow managed to escape, but not before I was forced to watch The Defiler skin my family, including my wife and daughter, alive before my very eyes!"

By this time the room seemed to grow dark with the anger and hatred that was oozing out of every word he spoke. Some of the animals present started backing away at the escalating rage of their care-taker. Edlyn herself unconsciously started sinking lower behind the too large table, ready to dive underneath should Beorn suddenly lose his head.

"A day has not passed when I haven't dreamed of ripping that monster's throat out with my bare claws!" Beorn growled. "In fact, had I had the chance, I would have done it last night!"

Suddenly, Beorn let out a roar, causing the healer to jump with a gasp when his claws shot from his fingertips and his fangs poked out from between his snarling lips.

It took a few tense moments for his rage to die down and he suddenly remembered who he was talking to. He looked at her and saw the fear in her wide eyes at his outburst, something that she obviously didn't expect from the normally warm and caring skin-changer. His claws retracted and his fangs disappeared as the snarl on his face softened.

"Forgive me, little squirrel." He said, his voice becoming gentle again. "I don't-I don't like remembering."

Edlyn halfheartedly nodded and lowered her eyes, muttering a small apology. There was a long pause after that as Beorn turned and stared at the wall, some of the sorrow still lingering on his face.

"I-I hope you succeed." Edlyn finally managed to say. Beorn looked at her curiously as she looked up at him. "I hope you succeed in avenging your family. And-and I hope you find peace in it, if you do."

Beorn nodded in response with a kind yet sad look in his brown eyes. **

Afterwards, Edlyn decided to change the subject and comment on how beautiful Beorn's home was and how she loved the animals and how Faen was doing. After a while of talking about these things, Beorn slowly went back to his usual warm and friendly self, albeit a bit sobered down. Just as long as the subject of his family and the other skin-changers was never brought up again, the conversation went smoothly. After a while, Edlyn remembered that she still had one more question for him.

"Beorn, may I ask you something else?" She asked as she got down from her seat when she was finished eating. Beorn nodded and leaned against the mantle. "Does the company know that I survived?" Beorn's face fell slightly and he didn't answer. "Beorn? Do they know I'm alive, or do they believe I'm...dead?"

Beorn turned away from her with a sigh. Then, after a few moments, he turned to her again. He still didn't answer and he didn't have to; the sad look in his eyes was more than enough to answer her question.

"Oh no!" Edlyn said quietly, her heart clenching when she realized the truth.

"Physically, your friends were fine." He said. "But it was clear to see that their hearts were heavy. They told me that they had lost you just outside the Misty Mountains and they told me how. The grief of your death weighed heavily on them, some more than others."

The healer couldn't even speak as Beorn explained all this to her.

"In fact," Beorn said. "There is something I must show you; something that I didn't want to show you at all. But I feel like you need to know. Follow me."

Edlyn frowned slightly but followed him nonetheless as he led her out the back door. She followed him until he led her to a large willow tree that was right next to a small pond in the back area. Pushing the hanging branches aside like a curtain, he invited her in first and pointed to something at the base of the tree. Her heart fell to the ground as soon as she saw what it was.

At the base of the tree was a decent sized pile of large white rocks that were arranged in a rectangular formation that bared the resemblance of a burial marker. On top was a large, flat stone that had Edlyn's name carved on it in the Common Tongue, Khuzdul and Rohirric, the language of Rohan. It didn't take a genius to figure out what it was. It was a grave; _her_ grave. She could hardly breathe as she looked at it.

"Is that..." She couldn't even finish the sentence.

Beorn nodded. "Your friends set this up right before they left. They had no body to bury so they built this to honor your memory."

"Then they really do think I'm dead." Edlyn said in barely a whisper.

Beorn nodded sadly. "It was that young blonde dwarf who suggested it. He and the others even had a ceremony for you."

Then, the skin-changer told her everything.

 _*Flashback*_

 _Fili stood underneath the willow tree in that same spot. He had been standing there for who knows how long, just gazing around with a sad yet thoughtful look on his face. He didn't even turn around when the familiar sound of his brother calling his name broke his thoughts._

 _"Fili?" Kili said, coming up right next to him. Fili hummed in response without looking at him. "Thorin sent me to tell you that we will be leaving for Mirkwood by the end of the morning."_

 _Fili nodded, still not looking at him. "It's beautiful here, isn't it?" He said after a pause. Kili sort of nodded and looked around. "Edlyn would have loved it here."_

 _Kili looked at his brother then let out a sigh. "Fili..."_

 _"I want to bury her here, Kili." Fili said before his brother could finish his sentence._

 _Kili stopped and looked at Fili with a look of surprise._

 _"Edlyn; I want to bury her here." Fili repeated. Then, for the first time, he turned and looked at Kili with sad eyes. "In order for me to continue on this quest, I have to have a clear mind, and a clear heart. I can't keep carrying her ghost with me everywhere I go, Kili; it will only weigh me down. I have to lay her to rest somewhere; I have to let her go. And I want to do it here." He paused. "Thorin said that there would be a time to grieve for her, and I think that time is now."_

 _Kili's face softened with understanding. "I'll go tell Thorin." He said, putting his hand on Fili's shoulder before turning and leaving him alone under the willow tree._

* * *

 _Some time later, every member of the company, with the addition of Beorn, stood around the willow tree, looking down at the rock pile that they had all helped set up as a memorial to their fallen friend. Fili was the last one, laying down the stone that had Edlyn's name carved into it, running his fingers across the letters that formed that name; a name that had so much meaning to him now. He stood up and Thorin stepped forward and put his hand on Fili's shoulder. Fili went and stood next to his brother as Thorin turned to address the entire company._

 _"We are here to honor the memory of our friend and companion who was taken from us very tragically. And, as I'm sure we all agree, was taken far too soon." Thorin said, his face grim. "Edlyn was the first to fall; the first of us to give their life for this quest. But we will not let her death be in vain! We will not let her memory fade! Now, we will reclaim Erebor in her name! She will not be forgotten!"_

 _The others shouted in agreement as Thorin turned and faced the memorial._

 _"Edlyn, you were the bravest amongst us." He said as if speaking to her directly. "You had so little to gain from this venture yet you gave so much. Loyalty, honor, a willing heart; you gave all that and more. You will forever be remembered with honor and admiration among my people. They will know your name and what you have done for us. Rest well."_

 _Thorin withdrew and Bilbo stepped forward. "You were a loyal friend, Edlyn." The halfling said. "To me and everyone here. In fact, you were the first friend I had on this journey. You understood what I was feeling and you wanted to help me. If it wasn't for you, I would have given up a long time ago. So, thanks for never giving up on me, fellow misfit." He leaned down and placed a flower on the grave before withdrawing. After that, each one of the dwarves stepped forward and said their eulogies to the healer._

 _Balin stepped forward first. "Lass, you had wisdom far beyond your years." He said, thoughtfully. "The words that you spoke were always so deep and full of meaning, that I had grown wiser by simply listening to you speak." He paused. "I'm going to miss our little chats. I truly will." He withdrew._

 _Dwalin stepped forward. "Uh, I'm not really good with all this sentimental stuff so I'll just be honest. When I first met you, lassie, I didn't really like you. I didn't think you had what it took to survive on this quest. Maybe it was your profession, I don't know. But you showed that you were a lot stronger than you looked, and I have more than a few bruises to prove that."_

 _Some of the other dwarves chuckled at that remark._

 _"Truthfully though, over time, I had grown to like you." Dwalin continued. "And, I think you were a true warrior, inside and out. I'm sure you would have fought it out to the very end and I would have been right there next to you." He bowed. "It was an honor to fight along side you." He withdrew._

 _Oin stepped forward. "You were a gifted healer, lass; resourceful and far ahead of your time. I learned so much from you during our time together. At least now, you won't have to yell at me anymore." The others chuckled at that. "I'm sure your master would be proud of you." He withdrew._

 _Gloin stepped forward. "I wish you could have met my wife and wee lad, you would have liked them. And they would have liked you. You were a spirited woman. So positive, charming and full of life; you were always able to make us laugh. Even when we were in the foulest moods, you still managed to have us splitting our sides open, sometimes by saying the simplest things. You made this journey bearable and it's not going to be the same without you." He withdrew._

 _Ori stepped forward timidly, with some encouragement from Dori. "You were a very sweet woman, even to the worst of us. You put up with us every day and you did it with such grace. Thank you for always being patient with me and everyone. I will truly miss you." He withdrew._

 _Dori stepped forward. "You were a servant at heart, Edlyn. You hardly ever thought of yourself. You had this motherly quality that made you want to help and take care of people, even when they weren't your responsibility. You did a wonderful job at helping me keep my brothers out of too much trouble. So thank you." He withdrew._

 _Nori rolled his eyes at Dori's last statement as he stepped forward. "Well honestly, Edlyn, I'd rather have you nagging at me instead of Dori. Your voice was a lot less annoying and you were easier on the eyes."_

 _"Nori!" Dori hissed as the others laughed._

 _"See what I mean?" Nori continued. He paused for moment. "Truthfully though, one thing I will miss most about you was your willingness to listen. Whenever I had something to say, you were always the one I could go to. You always listened and you were always patient and understanding. And you were a good judge at what was best to keep secret, although I questioned your judgment sometimes. Thank you for always listening to me when I needed it." He withdrew._

 _Bofur stepped forward and removed his hat. "You were a beautiful lass with a beautiful voice. Singing with you was one of my greatest joys and I will miss our duets. I will miss the way you laugh and I will miss how you always saw the beauty in everything. You made our lives brighter, you really did."_

 _He turned and looked at his brother. "Bombur, do you have anything you would like to say?"_

 _Bombur said nothing, but he gave his brother a sad look that was enough to break even Dwalin's heart. Bofur, understanding what Bombur was saying, nodded then turned to the memorial._

 _"Well, I speak for both myself and Bombur when I say that you will terribly missed." He said."There was no one like you, lass." He withdrew._

 _Bifur stepped forward, to everyone's surprise._ _ **"You had a good heart, my lady."**_ _He said in Khuzdul._ _ **"Kind and noble, you were. You would**_ _ **have made a wonderful dwarf, had you been one. Nevertheless, you were magnificent as you were and you will walk among the great**_ _ **ones of your race"**_ _He bowed and withdrew._

 _Kili stepped forward. "As Bilbo said, you were a friend to all of us. But, to me, you were more like the sister I never had, all the way down to the annoying teasing."_

 _The others chuckled at that, even Fili. Kili chuckled too, but it soon faded._

 _"In all honesty though, I'd give anything to hear some of that right now." He continued. "I miss all the fun we had, even at those times when we got ourselves into trouble. Thanks for all the good times and the memories." He withdrew._

 _Finally, Fili stepped forward. Everyone watched sadly as he gently knelt down next to the memorial. "You were my first love, Edlyn." He said softly. "And I will never love another as much as I loved you. You were my maiden; my fair maiden. More beautiful than anything in this world. Not even the loveliest and rare gems could compare to you. Everything that made you who you were, even your flaws, imperfections and demons, were what made you the most beautiful woman in the world to me. You were my lover and my best friend. I wish I that I had gotten the chance to say good bye." He leaned down and planted a kiss on the headstone. "I miss you, my love. I always will."_

 _As Fili stood up, Beorn turned to Gandalf. "Will you not say something as well?" He asked in a whisper._

 _"What I have to say to her, she will not hear." Gandalf replied. "Not where she is."_

 _Beorn gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"_

 _"I can not say." The wizard said. "But, I hope I am right."_

 _Beorn stared at him for a moment then shook his head. "Wizards." He muttered._

 _Some of the members of the company, including Fili, overheard what Gandalf had said and they all were confused as to what he was talking about. But none of them said anything._

 _"Come. We must leave now." Thorin said. One by one, every member of the company departed, until only Fili was left alone under the willow tree. He stood there for a moment before turning and joining the others._

* * *

Edlyn hadn't moved from that spot. She still stood there under that willow tree, staring down at what would have been her own grave. That is, if she had died. Beorn was no longer by her side. He had left after she told him that she needed to be alone for a while.

This was all too much to take in! She stared down at the memorial, hardly able to breathe. Her chest was tightening, as was her throat. Tears filled her eyes, threatening to spill over. Did she care? At this point, not really. So many emotions gushed through her; sorrow, pain, guilt, longing, even anger. This was not what she had intended to happen.

She hated it. She hated to think about her friends grieving for her when she wasn't even dead. She hated to think about Fili, her Fili, going through that kind of pain. And what was wrong with Gandalf?! From what Beorn had told her, it sounded like Gandalf somehow knew, or at least suspected that she was alive. If that was true, why didn't he tell the others? How could he just stand there and watch them experience that kind of grief? As long as she lived, Edlyn knew she would never understand wizards.

It was kind of frightening looking down at her own grave and realizing just how mortal she really was. All it did was remind her of when Deovan died. But, this wasn't her grave. Others thought it was, but it wasn't. Because she wasn't dead! Nor was she ready for Death yet! She needed them to know that; she needed Fili to know that! Now she longed to be with him more than ever. She longed to be in his arms and hold him and let him know that she was alive. And the more she longed, the more the tears started to silently fall.

Suddenly, Edlyn felt someone standing next to her. She turned and saw Meraell standing there with a look of sad understanding in his eyes. Beorn had told him everything. She looked at him and he saw right away the tears that had escaped her eyes. Then, all the emotions she felt came crashing down on her. Without a word, she fell against his chest, wrapped her arms around him and broke down. Meraell didn't hesitate to return the embrace, holding her close to try and comfort her. Her legs gave out from under her and he gently lowered her to the ground with his arms still around her, holding her as they both knelt on the ground. Edlyn continued to cry uncontrollably.

"Sh, sh. _Rhae_." Meraell said softly. "Calm down. It's alright, Edlyn. You will find them. I promise. They will know the truth soon."

He gently rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head. Despite her loud sobs, Edlyn could still hear his heartbeat, which was incredibly steady. She clung onto him harder because she just needed to feel _someone's_ arms around her right now.

Just then, they both felt something large loom over them and when they looked up, they found that Faen had somehow limped her way over to them and had draped her good wing over them both. She too learned about what happened and felt the need to comfort Edlyn as well.

And as Faen and Meraell stood there comforting their friend, Beorn stood some ways off, watching the scene with a somber expression.

* * *

 **A/N** **:** Naturally, I should apologize for this sad scene, so, I'm sorry. Sometimes I hate what my muse makes me write. Well, at least we got another opportunity to see how Fili and the others are coping with Edlyn's "death" since a lot of the chapters so far have focused on Edlyn and her journey. We needed a break, even if it was a small one.

Anyway, that aside, I want to discuss the extended scene I inserted. I wrote that scene LONG after writing these chapters with Beorn; actually, I was already into Book III when I wrote it. I had written the "Bear Skin" chapter with a few brief mentions of Beorn's new backstory and had debated about whether I should keep them or go back and edit them out. However, after watching _Battle of the Five Armies,_ and seeing how neglected Beorn and his story was, I decided to keep them and write this extended scene to go with them. I wrote this scene for two reasons, 1) to emphasize Beorn's desire for revenge and the fact that I 100% plan on letting him get revenge on Azog and 2) to allow his personality and backstory to match up better.

Someone sent me a note and pointed out that keeping Beorn's original personality in addition to Jackson's new backstory for him seemed kind of inconsistent and caused his personality to not quite match up with his past. Thankfully I had already written the extended scene but nevertheless, I made the necessary adjustments to make it fit together more. Tolkien described Beorn as a man of many wild moods; sometimes going from grumpy and impatient to warm and boisterous. So I imagine that grief and anger would be no different. He's still the Beorn we know except with some PTSD from what happened to his family and kin. Actually, The One Wiki describes Beorn as being "vengeful" so for him to want to avenge his family makes sense. Somehow, PJ overlooked that.

 **Sindarin translations:**

 _Rhae=_ Easy

 **Music:**

The music that plays during Edlyn's "funeral" is **Sleepsong (Instrumantal)** by **Secret Garden.**

(songs belongs to its respective owner)


	35. Book II CH 11: The Parting of Ways

**A/N** **:** OK, unfortunately this chapter is also very emotional, but it is also necessary. The end notes will explain why.

* * *

 **~The Parting Of Ways~**

* * *

 _From two different worlds, these two souls belong_  
 _Yet they are bound by a friendship that will forever be strong_  
 _But now their paths must part and they must say goodbye_  
 _And the healer's journey continues beneath a cloudless sky_  
 _For just as the day disappears into the setting sun_  
 _She must say farewell to the Radiant One_

* * *

The trio stayed with Beorn for a couple more weeks. They couldn't leave right away because Faen's injuries had left her pretty much immobile. Her wing still hadn't healed yet, and she could barely stand let alone walk after being slashed across the ankle by that orc blade. So, they had no other choice but to stay there until Faen was completely healed.

However, the longer they stayed, the more Edlyn realized that Faen's injuries were not healing fast enough.

As it turned out, the orc blade had done a lot more damage to her leg than the healer had previously thought. It had sliced deep into her calf muscles, making standing and walking not only near impossible, but downright painful for her. Edlyn knew that an injury like that would take several weeks to heal, not to mention the time it would take for her to regain the strength in her leg and learn to walk again. Plus, both her injuries were caused by orc weapons, so Edlyn wasn't sure how that factor affected the healing process. The Athelas that she used did help a bit, but not a whole lot. And Meraell assisted as much as he could. However, he was not as knowledgeable in the way of healing as most elves are since he had always been more of a warrior than anything.

* * *

"How long are you planning on staying?" Beorn asked them one day as Edlyn finished wrapping up Faen's leg for the hundredth time since they had been there.

"Until Faen is completely healed." She replied.

"I hope that won't take too long." He said.

"You're not kicking us out, are you, Beorn?" She asked with a look of mock hurt.

Beorn let out a laugh "Certainly not!" He said. "I quite enjoy your company. It's just that it's not wise for you to stay here too long."

Meraell, who had been standing quietly nearby watching them, looked at Beorn with a frown.

"What do you mean?" He asked. Both Edlyn and Faen looked at Beorn with the same expression (or for Faen, something like it).

"Autumn is coming to an end." Beorn told them. "Soon, it will be winter and the roads are not safe for travel once the first snows have fallen. Even if you choose to go through Mirkwood, which is what your friends did and the best way to catch up to them is for you to follow the same path they did, it's still not safe. And any path you take around the woods are even more treacherous. So, if you want to catch up to your friends and make it to the mountain before Durin's day and the first snows of winter, you are going to have to leave within the next couple days."

Edlyn was completely taken aback by all this. "But, Faen isn't suitable for travel yet, not even close. It will take several weeks for her leg and wing to heal properly, not to mention the time it will take for her to learn to walk again. She would never be able to make the journey, whether around or through the Woods. There has to be another way."

"Not unless you want to get stuck here until spring." Beorn said. "Because that's what will happen if you stay here too long."

"What about Radagast?" She asked. "You said you knew him. Can't we just get him to help us make Faen's healing go faster?"

Beorn shrugged "Radagast is absent. His animals tell me that he was called down South for some reason, but they wouldn't say why."

Edlyn let out a sigh. "So, what can we do?"

"I think there is only one thing that can be done, Edlyn." Meraell said.

She looked at him and he looked at her then at Faen. It didn't take long for everyone there to understand what he was implying. As much as the young healer hated to admit it, it was the only other real option they had.

"So, that's it?" Faen said, being the first to break the silence. "You're just going to leave me behind?"

"Faen, I don't want to and you know it." Edlyn said, her throat clenching at the thought.

"I'm not hurt that bad." Faen said. "I can still make it." She tried to stand but let out whine and sat back down.

"Easy there." Edlyn said. "Faen, you can barely stand let alone walk. You would never be able to make the journey. Besides, your family is probably worried sick about you by now. I think it is time for you to go home."

It hurt just to speak those words and everyone in the room could see it.

"I don't want to leave you, Edlyn." Faen said. "I promised you that I would help you find your friends."

"And you've kept that promise." Edlyn said. "I can take care of myself from here, don't worry."

"I don't feel right about sending you into that evil forest alone." Faen said.

"She won't be alone." Meraell said. "I'll be with her."

Edlyn walked over to him. "But Meraell, you need to go back to Rivendell. Lord Elrond needs you."

"I'm sure he can manage without me." Meraell said with a smirk. "He has other captains he can rely on. And I'm sure he knows where I am and understands my motives." He paused. "I've come too far to turn back now, Edlyn. You need me; you won't make it in Mirkwood on your own. I've already lost one person I cared about; I'm not going to lose another."

Edlyn lowered her eyes at that statement.

"He is right, little squirrel." Beorn said. "It would be wise to have him with you."

"What do you mean?" She ask.

"A darkness lies over that forest." Beorn replied. "An evil no one can see, only feel. The very air itself is rank with black magic. Even the strongest of men who enter there lose their way, and their minds. But he is an elf, so he is immune to the enchantments that lurk there. It is best that he go with you so that you don't get lost."

"And, as much as I hate to admit it, an eagle would never survive in those woods, not even with me there." Meraell said. "Eagles hate enclosed spaces. Faen was barely able to stay here without almost going mad; she would not make it in Mirkwood. She would fall victim to the spell just as easily as Edlyn would. And if an eagle completely loses its mind like that, it's chaos."

There was a long silence after that.

"If that's the case…" Faen said, breaking the silence again. "...then I guess this is the best thing to do." There was sadness in her voice.

"That settles it." Edlyn said. "We'll leave tomorrow." Those were the most painful words she had to say.

That night, the young healer slept next to Faen, letting her heartbeat lull her to sleep one last time.

* * *

The next day, right after lunch, Beorn escorted them to the border of his home, where he claimed was the place that he saw the company off as well. Faen even came along too, with a little help from Beorn and his cart and oxen. The sky was clear blue without a cloud to be seen and a light, cool breeze to go with it. Edlyn chose to wear the same clothes she arrived in; her usual blue tunic, belt, grey pants and boots. Beorn brought a couple of his horses as well as some supplies, mainly food, rations and clothing that he had packed for their journey.

"Let the horses guide you." Beorn said. "They know the way to the path your friends took. And whatever you do, don't stray from that path." He spoke that last part mainly to Edlyn.

Once everything was loaded onto the horses, Edlyn turned to Faen, who was sitting on the ground now, although she still had to look up at her.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye." She said. Those words left her throat feeling dry.

Faen nodded in response. "I knew this day would come eventually. But it has come far too soon." She paused. "I must tell you something, mouse. When I first met you, I saw you only as someone that I owed a debt to; a person that I would repay and never see again. Nor care to see again." Edlyn frowned slightly since this was news to her. "But after getting to know you and going through so much with you, I have come to see you as far, far more than that. I have come to see you as a true friend, and that is how it will always be."

The human smiled. "Well, the feeling is mutual, my friend."

Beorn and Meraell watched them both. "You should consider that an honor, little squirrel." Beorn said. "To win the friendship of one of the Great Eagles is a feat that so few humans have accomplished."

"Oh, believe me, Beorn." She said. "I am more than honored."

She looked at Faen and suddenly, she felt a deep, sinking hole inside her. The idea of parting with her was getting harder and harder as the moment drew nearer.

"Don't be sad, mouse." Faen said when she saw the pain in her eyes. "We will see each other again. This will not be our last meeting. Whether by the will of the Valar or my own stubbornness, we will see each other again."

"Most likely the latter, I'm assuming." Edlyn said.

"Yes, definitely the latter." Faen said. "But until then, you be sure to say hello to that handsome dwarf of yours for me, alright?" Neither of them noticed Meraell's face fall slightly at those words.

The healer laughed in response. "And you be sure to do the same with that handsome eagle of yours too." There was a pause.

"I have something I want to give you, mouse." Faen said.

Edlyn simply nodded and watched as Faen reached her head over and gently plucked one of the smaller feathers off of her wing with her beak. She then gave it to her. It was a decent size feather, probably the size of a dagger, and shimmering gold.

"I want you to have that as token of good luck, and a reminder of the unbreakable bond you and I have now." She said. "I wish you all the best in finding your friends, and your lover."

Well, that did it! That was all it took for Edlyn to lose it! Without a word, she threw her arms around Faen's neck and buried her face against her feathers, letting her warmth soak in to her very core. Tears started falling on their own accord, but she did nothing to stop them. Faen nuzzled her head against her as if she was returning the hug. Edlyn was sure that if Faen could cry, she would have. Very gently, Edlyn planted a kiss on her beak before resting her forehead against hers.

"I love you so much, you big, worthless ball of feathers." Edlyn said. "You know that, right?"

Faen nodded. "And I love you too, little mouse." There was another moment of silence as the two of them stood there savoring each other's presence for as long as they could. "Maybe next time we meet, I will give you a proper ride."

"I'd like that." Edlyn said with a smile.

"Come." Beorn said. "You must go now while you still have daylight on your side. I will keep you covered until you reach the forest."

Faen looked at Meraell. "You look after her, _Mellon_. Make sure she is safe."

"I will." Meraell said with a smile. He turned to Beorn. "Thank you for your hospitality, Beorn. It was much appreciated." Beorn smiled and bowed.

"And you take good care of Faen for me." Edlyn said "At least until her kin comes to pick her up."

"I have already sent the hummingbirds off to tell them." Beorn replied.

"And don't forget to follow my instructions for treating her wounds." The human said. Beorn nodded.

Edlyn very slowly made her way to her horse and both her and Meraell mounted at the same time. They turned and started trotting off in the direction that the horses led them in.

Suddenly, when they were some ways off, Edlyn stopped her horse and turned back, pausing to take time to gaze upon her friend one last time. Meraell did the same. Faen was still sitting and hadn't moved, just watching them ride off. Even though she was some distance away from her, Edlyn could still feel her grey eyes looking deeply into her own. It was a gaze that had become so familiar to her. In fact, everything about her was now familiar to her. It almost felt like she had known her forever, even though she had only known her for about a month. She knew that she would never be able to forget her, no matter what happened.

The two of them kept eye contact for a few more moments. Then, suddenly, with all her strength, Faen stood up and spread her wings out as far as she could, letting the sunlight touch her feathers, revealing that beautiful, golden glow that was the reason for which she was named. In the process, she let out a loud screech as her final farewell to Edlyn before sitting back down. Edlyn smiled and raised her hand as her final farewell to her. Meraell waved as well and Beorn waved back with a smile. Then, Edlyn and Meraell turned and galloped off towards Mirkwood, letting the horses guide them there. And every once in a while, they would look over and see a big black bear watching over them from a distance, keeping them safe.

The whole time, Edlyn prayed that the Valar would keep Faen safe and help her heal fast. But she knew deep in her heart that this would not be the last she would see her. Somehow, she knew that their paths would cross again.

Some day.

* * *

 **A/N** **:** This chapter always makes me sad. I love Faen with all my heart and it was very painful for me to let her go. I didn't want to but I realized I couldn't keep her here beyond this point. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't find a way to make her fit into the rest of this Book. She wouldn't have fit into any of the Mirkwood scenes and especially not in Lake-town. So I had to let her go right here and now.

Thankfully, as we all know, the Great Eagles do show up during the Battle of the Five Armies, so obviously Faen will be there with them. She will come back for that and I already have an idea for her reappearance that will be epic! It will be a bit of a _Deux Ex Machina_ but then again, people already think that's what the Eagles are so, what the heck!

 **Music:**

The music that plays when Edlyn is saying goodbye to Faen is **Wanderer** by **Black Dawn** (posted on Youtube under blacksheep806).

The music that plays as Edlyn and Meraell are riding to Mirkwood is **Undying Love** by **Two Steps from Hell** (think scenic aerial shots!).

(songs belong to their respective owners)


	36. Book II CH 12: Mirkwood

**A/N** **:** This chapter is another short one. This was really just an extra bit that I wrote but decided to post separately since it would have made both the last and next chapters too long if it had been added onto either of them.

* * *

 **~Mirkwood~**

* * *

 _What once was green has now turned grey_  
 _A darkened forest, full of fear and dismay_  
 _Stricken by the evil seeping into its roots_  
 _Where enchantment lingers in the air it pollutes_  
 _Doomed are the travelers who venture inside_  
 _Under the shadow of Mirkwood where wicked things hide_

* * *

The horses stopped right in front of a break in the tree line of Mirkwood, allowing Edlyn and Meraell to dismount. She was a bit sore after riding nonstop for nearly two hours, but it wasn't like this sort of pain was new to her; after all, she had grown up in Rohan.

"This must be the way in." Meraell said, standing under some trees that seemed to bend and twist, forming some sort of doorway. "The company must've entered here, which means that this leads to the path they took."

He walked back to the horses and started unloading them. Edlyn, meanwhile, stood at the doorway, staring deep into the darkness of the woods.

As she did, an uncomfortable shiver ran up her spine and throughout her entire body. Her heart started to beat fast and a knot formed in her stomach. She began to feel anxious, even scared about going into the forest. It didn't feel right, none of it did. Something was wrong and she had a bad feeling about it.

She jumped when Meraell placed his hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?" He asked. She nodded her head unconvincingly. He gave her a knowing look. "You can feel it, can't you?"

"It feels cold." She said. "And dark, and...and.."

"Sick?" He said, finishing her sentence.

She nodded in response. "It's as if the forest is diseased. Like it has been stricken by an illness."

"I feel it too." He said. "There is something in these woods; something ancient...and evil...and powerful."

There was an uncomfortable pause after that.

"Do we really have to go in?" Edlyn asked at length.

"I don't think we have much of a choice." Meraell replied. "We can't go south; that will take us too close to Dol Guldor. And whether we choose to go that way or take the Northern path, it still would take twice as long to get to the other side. Besides, Beorn said that the best way to catch up to the company is to follow the same path they did."

"If you say so."

Edlyn walked over and started unloading her belongings off of the horse she had ridden. As she did, she found the feather that Faen had given her. She looked at it, running her fingers along the edges. Her heart started to grow heavy. She looked at Meraell and saw him gazing at her with soft eyes. They both shared a look of understanding.

"I miss her." She said simply.

"She is safe now." He said. "And you will see her again. But, until then, you better hold onto that; we're going to need all the luck we can get."

Edlyn nodded and tucked the feather into her belt. As Beorn had instructed, they let the horses go after they finished unloading them and let them find their own way back home. Then, securing her supplies and weapons on herself, Edlyn followed Meraell into Mirkwood.

* * *

"I found the path." Meraell said, pointing to a trail that was paved with square stones.

Edlyn looked at it for a moment. "Well, that's not painfully obvious." She said sarcastically. "I fail to see how anyone could possibly get lost in these woods with a trail like that."

Meraell laughed. "Believe me; it's easier to get lost in here than you may think. This place plays tricks on your mind. The air itself reeks of enchantment; it's thick with it. Which is why you must stay close to me. Understand?"

Edlyn nodded and walked fairly close to his side. Suddenly, they heard a loud screech come from somewhere in the forest. She jumped and, by reflex, she grabbed Meraell's arm and clung onto him tightly.

"You don't have to be _that_ close." He said with an amused smile.

"Right, sorry." She said sheepishly, blushing as she let go of his arm.

He smiled, secretly hiding his delight at the temporary closeness as they both continued down the path through Mirkwood.

~Time Skip~

How long had they been walking through the forest?

Edlyn did not know how long exactly; she had pretty much lost track of time the moment they entered those cursed woods. However, according to Meraell, they had only been in there for three days.

Strange.

It felt like they had been in there so much longer than that; three weeks, maybe, even three years, but not three days. Meraell certainly wasn't exaggerating when he said that this place plays tricks on peoples' minds.

Every since they first set foot into the murky thickness of the forest air, Edlyn could feel the effects of the spell take hold of her. It was difficult for her to walk because she felt disoriented. Her vision kept getting blurry, then clear again. Some times she felt dizzy and light headed, other times she felt sleepy and lethargic.

And on top of that, she was starting to hallucinate. She kept seeing things that weren't there. All the time, she kept seeing things out of the corner of her eye, or she'd see something then turn away only to find that it was gone when she turned back. One time, she even saw herself walking next to her instead of Meraell, and that certainly freaked her out.

What was worse, she kept hearing voices coming from the woods. Sometimes, they sounded close, sometimes they sounded far away. But, they sounded so...familiar. Edlyn couldn't quite figure out why or where she might have heard them.

"It's just a trick of the forest, Edlyn." Meraell would always say. "Don't listen to it."

Thank goodness that Meraell was there! If it wasn't for him, the young healer would have gotten lost the second she set foot in the woods. He was her anchor. He was the only thing keeping her tethered to reality; or at least the only thing keeping her from straying from the path. The dark influence of the forest had no effect on him. He kept his composure the entire time while Edlyn would occasionally have moments of panic. When she did, he would calmly reassure her and his words always helped to soothe her.

However, nothing he said could make the voices stop.

* * *

On the fourth day, the voices had escalated from simply speaking to shouting, then to yelling and screaming. It sounded like someone was in some type of danger. It wasn't like Meraell was oblivious to the sound; he heard it too, which was strange to both of them. But, he still told Edlyn to be careful and stay on the path. But the voices still remained, echoing through the trees.

Then suddenly...

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!"

"KILI!"

Edlyn's head whipped around at the sound of that familiar voice shouting a familiar name that sounded very close.

"Fili?" She said.

Her heart leapt and something took control of her. Without thinking, she darted of into the darkness of the forest in the direction of the sound.

"Edlyn!" Meraell called after her.

He waited for a response but received none. He looked down at the path, not wanting to stray from it but knowing that he couldn't let Edlyn go into these woods alone. He had to go after her now other wise he would never find her. He quickly followed her into the woods, shouting her name as he ran after her.

* * *

Meanwhile, Edlyn ran through the twisted, gnarled underbrush with an unnatural speed and stamina, focused completely on following the sound of the yelling. However, the more she ran, the more she realized that the shouts seemed farther away now than they did before. She stopped, taking a moment to try and figure out which direction they were coming from and how far away they were.

But, everything was silent. The shouts had ceased. Realizing this, Edlyn turned and found that Meraell was no longer with her, and she had strayed from the path.

"Meraell?" She called. "Meraell!"

"Edlyn!"

She heard him shout her name and she immediately ran off in the direction of the cry. She paused after a while and shouted for Meraell once more. She heard him call for her again. However, she got confused and panicky when she realized that his voice was not only coming from the direction in which she was running but the opposite direction as well. In fact, his voice seemed to be coming from _all_ directions and she could no longer tell which direction it was actually coming from or even how far away it was.

The healer started desperately spinning in circles. "It's a trick!" She said with panic. "It's another trick of the forest! I'm lost! I'm lost in Mirkwood! HOW DID I EVEN DO THAT!?"

She collapsed against a tree, running her fingers through her hair as it sank in that what she had just said was frighteningly true.

She was, indeed, hopelessly lost.

~Several minutes later~

Edlyn was soon alerted to the sound of running footsteps coming towards her and she jumped up and looked in every direction.

"Who's there?" She called out. "Meraell, is that you?"

There was no answer, but the footsteps continued. However, as before, she was still unable to tell which direction they were coming from, but they just kept getting closer and closer.

Suddenly, something, or someone, came flying out of the bushes to her left and collided with her, knocking her down.

* * *

 **A/N** **:** Hm, I wonder who or what has run into Edlyn. Any guesses?

By the way, I forgot to talk about this in the last chapter, but remember when I said that bringing Meraell back helped to smooth out some kinks I had in the storyline? Well, this is one of them. Having him accompany Edlyn into Mirkwood made more sense than letting her go alone. When I was developing this part of the story I didn't think it would make sense for Beorn to send Edlyn into the Woods alone when he knew how dangerous it would be. Because if thirteen dwarves and a hobbit were able to go into those woods and immediately get lost, then one human woman would never have survived on her own. So bringing Meraell back helped with that little detail.

 **Music** **:**

The music that plays as they are wandering through Mirkwood is **You Walk This Earth Alone** by **Two Steps from Hell.**

(song belongs to its respective owner)


	37. BkII CH13: Hobbits &Spiders &Elves,Oh My

**~Hobbits and Spiders and Elves, Oh My!~**

* * *

 _Beneath the shadow of the woods, within the haunted air_  
 _Predators in webs of silk await for prey to snare  
Heroes of the strangest kind who'd fight them to the end  
Are rescued from the spiders' jaws; but by foe or friend?_

* * *

When Edlyn finally recovered from the painful impact of the collision, she looked up at the person who had collided with her and who was now lying on top of her. As soon as she did, her gaze fell upon a very familiar, mousy little face with light brown eyes that was framed by a head of shaggy, brown hair and large, oversize, pointed hobbit ears.

"Bilbo!" She exclaimed half in joy and half in surprise.

It was Bilbo, alright! The little hobbit had come running out of the bushes and accidentally ran right into the healer. For a moment, she figured that he was just another hallucination since she literally didn't see him there; it was as if he just appeared out of nowhere. However, judging from the pain she was still feeling from his body colliding with hers, she decided that he was definitely real.

Bilbo looked down at her with a confused frown. His face changed to a look of shock then shifted back to a look of confusion.

"Edlyn?" He said, seeming unsure of what was coming out of his mouth.

Edlyn let out a squeal, wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down into a rather tight bear hug, drawing a surprised 'oof' out of the halfling.

She started speaking at a mile a minute. "Bilbo! Bilbo! My dear friend! Thank the Valar I found you! I missed you so much, you little misfit! I thought I'd never see you again! Thank goodness you're alright!"

"Air...air!" Bilbo wheezed.

"Right, sorry." She said, letting go of him when she realized that her over enthusiastic greeting was suffocating the poor hobbit.

Once he was free, Bilbo scrambled to his feet and started backing up until his back made contact with the tree behind him, all the while with a shocked look on his face.

"Bilbo?" Edlyn said as she stood up on her feet.

Bilbo continued to stare at her with a shocked and confused expression. She looked him over from head to foot, noticing his haggard appearance. His clothes and face were smeared with dirt and his hair was ruffled. He had some cuts and bruises on him and he was covered in...were those spider webs? Edlyn didn't like the look of that.

"Y-y-you're not real!" Bilbo said in response to what she said. "You can't be real! No, you're not really here. I'm hallucinating again." He turned away from her and stared at the ground. "This cursed forest is still playing tricks on my mind! Wake up, Bilbo! Wake up! She's not really here!" He started slapping himself in the face to wake himself up, causing Edlyn to raise a questioning eyebrow.

"Bilbo, I know it seems impossible, but it's me." She said. "I'm really here."

"No, no, no, no, no, no, you're not!" Bilbo said, raising his finger to her. "You can't be! You're dead! You fell off that cliff and...you're dead!" He let out a nervous laugh. "Brilliant! First I'm seeing two of me and now I'm seeing an image of a dead friend!"

Edlyn stood there with her arms crossed as Bilbo went on and on about how she was not real. She let out a sigh and rolled her eyes a bit. Then, she walked over to him and, without a word she grabbed his right ear and pinched it tightly.

Bilbo let out a yelp. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" He shouted as she tugged on his ear harder.

"There!" She said. "Could a hallucination do that? Could a ghost do that?" Bilbo didn't answer; he just kept yelping. "And may I remind you of the painful hug I just gave you? Or the painful impact of you careening into me? Could a ghost or a hallucination cause that kind of pain?"

Edlyn let go of him and he stumbled backwards, clutching his ear in pain. Then, his pain filled expression disappeared and was replaced with a look of shocked realization.

The young healer gave him a soft smile. "Now do you believe I'm real?"

Bilbo stared at her with his mouth hanging open and eyes wide. "I-I-It's really you? You're alive?" He said. It was more of a statement than a question.

Edlyn smiled again. "Yes, Bilbo. I'm most certainly alive."

Suddenly, Bilbo ran forward and wrapped his arms around her waist and gave her a tight, squeezing hug as he rested his head under her bust, causing her to let out a surprised gasp. Eventually, she smiled and knelt down to his level to properly return his embrace.

"You're alive!" He exclaimed. "I can't believe it! Thank goodness! I thought you were dead! We all did! Fili...he was devastated! He took it harder than anyone!"

"I know." Edlyn replied sadly. "I was at Beorn's home. I saw the memorial you guys had set up for me."

He pulled away and looked at her with another confused frown. "Wait, you met Beorn?" She nodded. "How? When? And for that matter, how did you survive? What happened to you?"

"Well, that's a long story..."

She then proceeded to give him the abbreviated account of her adventures. She told him about Faen, her close encounters with Azog and the Warg riders, why her hair was short, Meraell, Beorn and her time in Mirkwood. Bilbo listened with a look of complete shock and awe on his face.

"Well, you've certainly been through a lot!" He exclaimed.

"And that's just the condensed version." Edlyn said. "Wait till I give you the details later. Anyway, I seem to have lost Meraell and I don't know where he is at the moment." She paused. "Speaking of which, what happened to you and the company after you left Beorn's?"

"Like you, we entered Mirkwood and immediately got lost." Bilbo replied. "We have most likely been wandering around in circles for many days at this point."

"Well, that might explain how I succeeded in catching up to you." Edlyn said. "Wait, how did you get lost in Mirkwood? Doesn't Gandalf know where the path is?"

"Gandalf left us right before we entered the woods." Bilbo said. "He said he had some business down South that he needed to look into, so we continued on without him. A lot of good that did us!" He scoffed.

Edlyn rolled her eyes. "Typical." She said. _"Although, that might explain why Radagast was absent as well."_ She thought to herself. "So, where's the company now?"

"Well, after I saved us all from giant spiders, they got captured by wood elves, except for me. In fact, I was just following them when I bumped into you." He paused and looked around. "And now, I have no idea which way they went. Thanks for that." He said sarcastically.

"Hey, it's not my fault!" Edlyn said defensively. "You bumped into me, which hurt, by the way!"

As she spoke, Bilbo's eyes suddenly widened as he looked up at her, and behind her.

"Uh, Edlyn." He stammered. "This has been a very wonderful if incredibly shocking reunion and I would just love to sit here and chat. However, I strongly suggest that you start running now."

"Why?" She asked, confused.

"Because there's a giant spider right behind you!"

Edlyn spun around and came face to face with just that. An enormous arachnid, larger than her and Bilbo put together, leapt off of the over hanging log behind them, hissing and shrieking as it did. Edlyn let out a surprised yell and stumbled backwards, nearly tripping over Bilbo in the process. The grotesque creature hissed again and started moving towards them both fast.

"Not again!" Bilbo said with an air of annoyance, as if the spider's presence was merely a slight inconvenience and not a major threat to their lives, a response that surprised Edlyn.

The spider charged at them. But Bilbo, being as small and nimble as he was, ran down in between the spider's legs, leaving the human to face its jaws alone. The spider knocked her down and kept trying to bite her head off with its huge, gaping mouth while she tried with all her might to hold it back by its pincers, struggling against its bite.

Just then, Bilbo pulled out his dagger and started stabbing the spider in the abdomen repeatedly. The creature shrieked and fell back, allowing Edlyn the opportunity to scramble out from underneath it. She removed her pack and pulled out her sword, which was thankfully secured on her back, as always, and didn't hesitate to hack off the spider's front legs. It lost its balance and fell forward right before she sank her sword right through its head, killing it. She then looked up at Bilbo and the two of them shared a relieved smile.

"Oh, by the way, Edlyn, this is Sting." He said, introducing her to his dagger.

Edlyn bowed slightly. "Nice to meet you, Sting."

She then pulled her sword out of the spider's head, wiping its blood off her face and started prodding its corpse with her foot. When she looked up, she saw that Bilbo was frantically looking around on the ground for something.

"What is it, Bilbo?" She asked.

"Where is it? Where is it?" He kept muttering. "I lost it! It's mine and I lost it! I lost it when I ran into you! Where is it?"

"Where's what, Bilbo?" Edlyn asked, confused.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of skittering and hissing. She looked up and saw, not one, not two, but three more spiders descending down upon them.

"BILBO!" She called.

Bilbo looked up and saw the spiders, yet he still kept looking around on the ground for whatever it was that he lost.

"Bilbo, I need help here!" Edlyn shouted as the spiders got closer.

"AHA! Found it!" He shouted.

Edlyn turned around and looked at him for an explanation. He simply looked back at her.

"Pardon me, Edlyn." He said.

Then, he vanished! The healer nearly jumped back in surprise. The halfling had just disappeared right before her eyes, as if by magic! She was completely bewildered by it. But her attention quickly turned back to the spiders.

The first one leapt onto the ground in front of her and lunged at her with a shriek, only to get sliced across the face with her blade. It let out a scream, allowing Edlyn the chance to plunge her sword down its throat. It fell lifeless to the ground and another spider landed and sought to attack the human.

However, that spider started screaming and shrieking as it began losing limbs left and right, like it was being hacked apart by an invisible blade. Edlyn had no idea what was going on as she watched the creature fall over dead. She looked around frantically for the last spider. Then, she heard the familiar sound of something whizzing through the air followed by another shriek. She turned and saw the third spider, who had tried to attack her from behind, fall down dead with a large arrow embedded in its face.

Edlyn turned back to see who it was that fired the arrow, thinking maybe it was Meraell saving her life once again. However, when she came face to face with the archer, she saw that it wasn't Meraell but a different elf with dark hair and deep, dark eyes who was pointing an arrow right at her. She jumped slightly at the sight of the arrow in front of her face, and when she looked over, she saw more elves standing around her with arrows pointing directly at her.

"Don't move." Ordered the elf in front of her.

Edlyn gave him a bit of a glare. "There's ten of you and only one of me, and you're all pointing arrows at me. A bit excessive, don't you think?"

The elf frowned slightly then lowered his bow, and the others followed suit. _**"Take her weapons."**_ He ordered one of the other elves in Elvish.

"Whoa! Hands off!" Edlyn said defensively, pushing the elf away when he approached her.

The elf simply scoffed then proceeded with his orders, first taking her sword away. She rolled her eyes as the elf started searching her for more weapons.

"Easy there." She said in a mocking tone. "You're cute, but I'm already seeing someone else."

The elf paused and looked at her with irritation in his eyes at her sarcastic remark. Edlyn smirked as the elf continued to search her, eventually finding Fili's knives that she had tucked into her boots (as always). He looked at the knives curiously then back at her before handing them to the first elf who reacted the same way. He also found the feather that Faen had given her, his eyes widening when he did. He showed it to the first elf, who, again, reacted the same way before turning to Edlyn.

"You're coming with us." He said.

"Do I have a choice?" She asked. The elf shook his head. "I didn't think so." She said, pursing her lips.

She proceeded to follow them, taking a quick look around to see where Bilbo was before the elves yelled at her to keep moving. She didn't see him anywhere and she wondered where the little hobbit was, and for that matter, what on earth had happened back there.

Edlyn didn't know, of course, that Bilbo was following close behind them, using his new souvenir that he had found in the Goblin caves to keep himself invisible to her and the elves. And no one, not even Bilbo, knew that Meraell was there as well.

* * *

When Meraell was running after Edlyn, she kept getting farther and farther away from him. He couldn't catch her despite his speed and nimbleness for she had fallen for a trick of the forest and was following his voice in the wrong direction. He eventually caught up with her but he was too late, arriving just in time to see her being captured by the wood elves. He sat there, completely hidden and watched from a distance, knowing better than to try and rescue her now.

If it had been orcs that had captured her, he certainly wouldn't have hesitated to jump in and cut them all down to save her. But these were elves, his own kin. He would never even think about killing any one of them. Plus, he knew how dangerous these wood elves were, not to mention difficult to reason with. Being alone, he would easily have been captured himself, despite his skills as a warrior.

Besides, he could see that these elves were guards and were just doing their duty. They weren't savage like orcs and he knew they were not going to hurt Edlyn. So, he had no choice but to stay hidden and out of sight as he followed Edlyn and the woodland guard, his light footfalls remaining completely silent even to the keen ears of the elves themselves.

* * *

 _ **"Open the gate!"**_ The first elf called as they crossed the bridge that led into the woodland kingdom after several minutes of walking.

Edlyn stared up at the mighty fortress in awe as the gate was opened to allow her and the elves to enter (with an invisible Bilbo entering close behind them).

* * *

Meraell watched silently from the bushes as she was led into the gate, letting out a sigh when it was closed behind them. He knew he would never be able to penetrate that fortress alone. If he tried to approach it in any way, he would quickly get arrested. So, it looked like he would just have to wait. Wait for some opportunity to get Edlyn out. He just prayed that it would happen soon.

* * *

Upon entering the gate, Edlyn and the guards were approached by two elves. One was a male elf with blonde hair and piercing blue eyes and the other one was a red-headed she-elf.

 _ **"Where were you?"**_ The blonde elf asked the leader of the guards in Elvish. _**"You were supposed to report back with the rest of the**_ _**guard an hour ago."**_

 _ **"My apologies, your highness."**_ The elf replied. _**"We were just taking care of some extra spiders that had gotten away, and in the process, we**_ _**picked up a stray."**_

He turned and pointed to Edlyn. The blonde elf looked at her and she gave him a mocking wave.

 _ **"She**_ _**was carrying these."**_ The elf guard said as he handed him the knives that she was carrying with her. The blonde elf took the knives and looked them over, noticing their make. _**"And this."**_ The elf said, handing him Faen's feather. The blonde elf's eyes widened as he took the feather, realizing what great beast it belonged to.

Edlyn, meanwhile, watched the elves with a growing irritation, having grown quite tired of all this.

"Hey!" She shouted, causing all the elves to look at her. "You obviously were not taught proper manners." She was mainly speaking to the blonde elf. "It's very rude to leave someone out of a conversation like that, especially if the conversation is about them. Now, I cannot speak your language but I know you can speak mine. So, if you have anything you'd like to say about me, show some decency and say it in a language I can understand!"

The blonde elf cocked an eyebrow and the rest of the elves gave surprised looks at the sharp boldness of her words. The blonde elf walked over to her.

"I am Legolas." He said in the Common Tongue. "The son of Thranduil, King of the Woodland Realm."

"A royal!" Edlyn said. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, your highness." She gave a mocking bow. "I am Edlyn of Rohan, and I am not a royal."

Legolas cocked his eyebrow again at her witty tone. "You're a bold one, I see. Well, hopefully you can drop the wit long enough to tell me what this is." He held up Faen's feather.

Now it was Edlyn's turn to cock an eyebrow. "Do you seriously not know the answer to that?"

Legolas was not amused by her comment. "This is an eagle feather. But it does not belong to an ordinary eagle. This belongs to one of the Great Eagles of Manwë, the most sacred of all birds."

"Well, obviously!" Edlyn said. "There is no normal eagle alive that has feathers that size."

"Where did you get this feather." He demanded.

She looked at him for a moment, realizing what he seemed to be implying. "I didn't kill the eagle to obtain it, if that's what you're wondering." She said sharply. "The eagle gave it to me, as a gift."

Legolas stared at her with an air of disbelief. "Alright then." He said. "What about these?" He held up Fili's knives. "These were not made by any smith among Men. These are of dwarfish make and they have the symbol of the Line of Durin carved into the handle. How did these come to be in your possession?"

"They belong to someone very important to me." Edlyn replied. Then she remembered what Bilbo had said. "But, I take it you've met him already."

"You mean the dwarves?" Legolas said. Edlyn's heart leapt at those words but she kept it hidden. "You were with them?"

"For a time, yes." She said.

"And what were you doing in the company of dwarves?" He asked. "You're not a dwarf yourself."

Edlyn gave him a look of mock surprise. "I'm not?!" She looked down at herself. "I thought I was!"

She could see the irritation in Legolas' eyes at her mocking and it drew a smirk out of her. The rest of the elves watched her in disbelief. The she-elf, however, stood there with a small smile on her face, trying to keep her amusement contained.

"She is a feisty one, isn't she, _mellon_?" She said.

Legolas looked at her then back at Edlyn. "Yes, she is. Too feisty for her own good."

"What should we do with her?" The one elf asked. "Should we just lock her up with the others?"

Legolas looked at Edlyn for a moment, and then his eyes fell on the moonstone necklace she was wearing.

"No." He said. "I think it's best if we take this one right to my father; I'm sure he'd be interested to meet her."

* * *

 **A/N** **:** Yes, you read that right; Edlyn was, in fact, sassing Legolas. Sorry, I couldn't resist. Well, after everything that girl has been through I doubt she's afraid of sassing a few elves, even if they are royalty. However, her lack of respect might end up coming back to bite her in the ass in the next chapter when she decides to give Legolas' father the same treatment.

By the way, you guys may have noticed the slight stretching of the timeline there when Edlyn bumped into Bilbo. I can't remember if the book actually specified how long the company was wandering in the woods before the elves captured them (again, Tolkien experts, feel free to enlighten me). It could have been for only one week, but as you see here I decided to stretch that time out much longer to allow Edlyn to catch up to them. I figure with them wandering in circles combined with the fact that they had to haul Bombur around for a good chunk of the time, I say it makes sense, hopefully.

 **Music:**

The music that plays when they are fighting the spiders is **World on a String** by **Immediate Music.**

(song belongs to its respective owner)


	38. Book II CH 14: Thranduil

**A/N** **:** Just a fun little warning; this chapter contains a lot of sass! If you are somehow sass intolerant you might want to skip this chapter. Otherwise, enjoy! (^_^)

* * *

 **~Thranduil~**

* * *

 _A immortal Elvenking perched upon his woodland throne  
Clothed in silver garments with the light of stars, they shone  
With eyes, pale blue like crystal gems and hair as white as snow  
Fair he looked yet cold he seemed, as all his kin would know  
But when this mighty king must face the witty maiden's mock  
He is not the only one who will receive a shock_

* * *

After being stripped of everything except her tunic, trousers and boots, Edlyn was led through a series of winding hallways. Actually, they weren't really hallways since there were no walls. They were more like really long and twisty bridges. It seemed to her that these elves had no idea what walls were. The whole place was open, like it was one big room and she could see pretty much everything. Every once in while, she would slow down to take in the sights around her. Even though she wasn't particularly fond of these elves at the moment, she had to admit, they sure knew how to decorate.

Of course, every time she did, Legolas would grab her arm or push her and order her to keep moving. She always responded with a glare because she knew that after she had been all snarky with him before, he liked pushing her around. The she-elf was little bit more apprehensive about the woodland prince's treatment of the healer. Even if she never said it, Edlyn could see it in her eyes, and that made her increasingly curious about her.

At last, Edlyn was led up the stairs and into the throne room. Again, there were no walls so it wasn't really a room, just the elves' interpretation of a room. Upon entering, it didn't take her long to spot the elvenking himself, seated on his large, antler adorned throne, especially since he was the most striking thing in the room.

No doubt, he was attractive; Edlyn expected no less from an elf. In fact, right away, she could easily see the family resemblance between him and Legolas. They both had the same long, blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, as well as the tall, lean build of their kin. The only thing was that Thranduil had much thicker eyebrows and it kind of startled her. The king was dressed in a long silver robe that touched the floor with boots and trousers to match. He wore the most unusual floral-type crown on his head.

He was talking to another elf about something, but Edlyn didn't know what it was since they were speaking in Elvish. They both turned and looked at them, and Thranduil got a slightly annoyed look on his face.

"Legolas, what have I told about interrupting me when I'm busy?" He said. His voice was deep and smooth.

"I'm sorry, father." Legolas said with bow. "I thought you had finished."

"Thankfully for you, I just did." He replied.

He gave the elf he was talking to a nod, who bowed before leaving, pushing his way past them as he exited. Thranduil stood up, descended the stairs and walked over to them.

"What reason would you have to interrupt me, son?" He asked Legolas.

"I have a prisoner here that I would like for you to look at, if it's not too much trouble." Legolas replied.

Edlyn sneered at him when he said the word 'prisoner'. Thranduil turned and looked at her, apparently just becoming aware of her presence. His crystal blue eyes scanned her and he cocked an eyebrow before turning to Legolas.

"And of what significance would this _girl_ be to me?" He asked. The way he said the word 'girl' set Edlyn off.

"Well, you're a real charmer, aren't you?" She said indignantly.

Thranduil's head snapped in her direction and his expression was a cross between surprise and anger.

"I did not give you permission to speak, child!" He said harshly.

"You don't give _me_ permission to speak at all!" She retorted. "I speak when I want!"

Thranduil's eyebrows shot up and he looked a bit taken aback at being spoken to in such a manner. Meanwhile, the red-headed she-elf turned and looked at the other elf that had come in with them, neither of them sure how to react to the girl's tone. Legolas rolled his eyes, since this was something he was kind of expecting.

"She's been like this the entire time, father." He said.

Thranduil looked at him for a moment then back at Edlyn. "You have a quick and witty tongue, young lady." He said.

"And unfortunately my encounter with the spiders has loosened it." She said. "Just a little warning, you're going to need it."

"Well." He said. "If you are wise, you will hold that tongue of yours and keep your opinions to yourself. I am Thranduil, king of the woodland realm and you will show me some respect."

"A king?" Edlyn said. "Well, I never would have guessed. The crown wasn't an obvious giveaway."

Irritation shown in Thranduil's eyes at her sarcastic comment. "Why have you brought her to me again?" He asked Legolas.

The elf prince explained everything as he showed him the knives she had been carrying, as well as the feather that Faen had given her. Thranduil looked at the items with interest, especially the feather. Then his eyes fell on the moonstone necklace around her neck.

"You are one of Edhelnost's pupils, I see." He said. Edlyn nodded. "I always found his methods of healing to be a bit...degraded."

She frowned. "Excuse me?"

"Well, he takes the pure art of elven healing and tarnishes it by mixing it with the healing methods of other races." He said. "But then, I expect no less from a crossbreed like him."

Edlyn glared; she would not tolerate someone insulting her master. "And you wonder why I don't show you respect." She sneered.

Thranduil didn't seem phased by her dark gaze. "And what were you doing in the woods so far from your master?"

"I was just taking a stroll through the forest." She replied mockingly. "I heard it's lovely this time of year. The giant spiders are especially delightful."

Thranduil let out an irritated sigh and decided to change the subject. "And what about this feather?" He said, holding the feather up.

" _That..._ appears to be an eagle feather." She said. "And judging by its size, it belongs to one of the Great Eagles."

"And how did you get it?" He asked.

"Well, your son seems to think that I killed the eagle to get it."

"Did you?"

"No!" She said defensively.

"I suppose you're right." Thranduil said. "That would be giving you too much credit." He smirked at his seemingly clever comeback.

Edlyn, however, was not deterred by it. "Well, given the scale of the accusation, I'm inclined to agree with you." She said. "The eagle gave it to me as a gift."

Thranduil's smirk disappeared when he realized his own comeback failed. "And why would an eagle give you one of its feathers?"

"Because we helped each other and became friends." Edlyn replied. "And that's the truth."

"If you say so." He said, not really believing her. "Anyhow…" He said, holding up the knives and inspecting them. "Judging by these knives and what Legolas said, you were part of the company of dwarves the guard just captured, which also explains why you were in the woods to begin with."

Those words made Edlyn's heart race, but she managed to once again keep it hidden. "That would be correct."

"And why were you with dwarves?" He asked. "You are not of their kin."

She scoffed. "Well, I see the gift of observation runs in the family." She cast a quick glance over at Legolas, who rolled his eyes, then turned back to Thranduil.

"You're mocking me." The elf king said.

"Yes, I am." She said in a matter-a-fact tone.

She could see Thranduil's temper growing short. "You are trying my patience, woman! And that's not easy to do!"

"Woman?" Edlyn said with a frown. "I'm sorry, was that meant to be an insult? It's not a very good one because in case you didn't notice, I am, in fact, a woman. So really, all you're doing is stating the obvious, which appears to be a family trait."

Suddenly, Thranduil's hand shot up and wrapped around her neck just below her jaw, causing her to gasp. Legolas, the she-elf and the other elf, who were standing some ways off, jumped a bit at this sudden action on their king's part. Thranduil's grip on her neck wasn't tight or constricting, so he wasn't trying to choke her; he was just trying to get her to be quiet.

"Do not test me!" He hissed, his pale blue eyes burning into hers, which widened when the entire left side of his face suddenly dissolved, revealing an enormous burn scar; she had seen enough of them to know what they looked like.

Legolas and the other elves didn't seem phased by the sight of the king's scar; they had seen it many times before.

"I am ruler of these lands!" Thranduil said to Edlyn. "Everyone here is at my command! I could easily have you executed or imprisoned for the rest of your short life for speaking to me in such a manner! So don't push your luck!" He let go of her and his face went back to normal.

Edlyn rubbed her neck. "Are you trying to frighten me?" She asked with a nervous scoff. "I'm a healer; I've seen burns much worse than that, plus many other horrors. If you knew half the things I had seen and what I have been through up to this point, you would know that it will take a lot more than a claim of authority, a scarred face and a few embellished threats to frighten me." Thranduil's eyes narrowed. "You may do with me what you wish, but you will NEVER have power over me." She said with glare.

Thranduil glared back and the two of them held their gaze for a few more moments before the tense silence was broken by a guard's voice.

"Excuse me, your highness." He said.

"What!?" Thranduil growled, breaking eye contact with her and looking at him.

Edlyn's eyes fell to the floor and she released the breath she didn't even know she was holding, noticing her shaking hands and rapidly pounding heartbeat; revealing that she was far more frightened than she let on.

Thranduil cleared his throat. "What?" He asked again in a calmer tone.

"Just as you requested, we have brought the other prisoner up." The guard said. "The one that you said you wanted to speak to privately."

At his words, Edlyn turned around and her heart almost leapt right out of her chest when she immediately recognized the dark haired dwarf who had accompanied the guard in.

"Thorin!"

Her voice went up a few octaves and increased in volume. She could hear it echo throughout the elven halls and she was fairly certain that everyone there could hear it also. But, she did not care, for so great was her joy at seeing yet another familiar face.

Thorin stopped in his tracks, having been taken off guard by someone shouting his name. He looked up at Edlyn and at first, his face was blank. Then, his brow knitted together. He looked like he was trying to figure out who or what he was looking at, or even was having trouble recognizing her. She wouldn't have been surprised if he didn't recognize her at all. After all, her hair was much shorter than it was when he saw her last, and she had obtained a few scars over the course of her misadventures. Plus, all those trials she went through probably aged her a bit. No doubt, she probably did look different; she certainly felt that way.

Thranduil, Legolas and the other elves all watched in quiet interest as Edlyn silently gazed at Thorin with a hopeful look on her face, waiting for him to respond. Finally, she could see the wheels in his head begin to turn. Right away, every emotion he felt; surprise, bewilderment, fear, confusion, realization, relief, it all showed up on his face in a split second. His icy blue eyes widened, his jaw fell open and he looked completely shocked; it was a look that she had never seen on the face of this usually grim faced dwarf.

"It-it can not be." Thorin said finally. "Edlyn?"

Edlyn smiled wide when he said her name, then she turned to Thranduil. "Pardon me." She said to the elf king before she ran up to Thorin.

Without even thinking, she leaned down and hugged him tight. Never in a million years would she have even considered hugging Thorin; he never seemed like the hugging type. But, given the circumstances, she was willing to make an exception. And she figured Thorin would too.

Thorin didn't hug her back right away, mainly because he was still shocked that she was able to hug him at all, meaning she wasn't a ghost or a hallucination. It took several moments for the truth to sink in before he slowly wrapped his arms around her to return the embrace. She smiled and got down on her knees to hug him properly. As soon as she did, his grip on her tightened, which surprised her. But that didn't stop her from speaking.

"Thorin! Thank goodness you're alright! You have no idea what I've been through!" She pulled away and looked at him. "Is everyone else alright?" She asked. Thorin said nothing, he just stared at her. "Thorin?" She said with a confused frown.

"This...this is impossible." Thorin said, looking at the young healer from head to foot. She gave him an understanding smirk, knowing exactly what he meant. "You cannot be here. You're dead. You...you fell."

"Yes, I fell." She replied. "But I was saved at the last second, and then flung into constant peril afterwards." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's a really long story, and I would just love to share it with you. However..." She said as she stood up. "...given the fact that we are currently being held prisoner..." She cast a disfavored look at Thranduil. "...now is not the best time. So, I'll just have to tell you everything later. But, is everyone else alright?" She asked again.

"Uh, yes, yes, they're all fine." Thorin said. Edlyn breathed a sigh of relief while Thorin kept staring at her. "This is very..."

"Yes, I understand." She said. "This is all a shock, I know. Believe me, it's a shock to me too."

"So, you _do_ know this dwarf." Thranduil said.

Edlyn sighed and looked at him. "No, I don't know him. This is how I always greet dwarves I don't know." She said sarcastically.

A smirk graced Thorin's lips when he saw the annoyance on Thranduil's face.

"I have had enough of your tongue, woman." Thranduil said.

"Aw, but I thought we were having fun." Edlyn said with a look of mock hurt.

"Fun, like a Warg's bite." He replied. He turned to Legolas and the others. "Take her down to the dungeons and lock her up with the others." He ordered.

Legolas walked forward to grab Edlyn and Thorin made a move to stop him, but she put her hand on the dwarf's shoulder.

"Thorin, don't bother." She said. "I knew this was coming." She turned to Thranduil. "However, before I am thrown into a cage, can I at least have my feather back? It was a gift, you know."

Thranduil held the feather in his hand and walked over to her. "No." He said, tucking the feather into his robe. "In fact..." He said as he reached up and grabbed the moonstone necklace she wore and yanked it right off her neck. "...I think I'll keep this as well."

Edlyn immediately tried to take it from him but ended up getting held back by Legolas. She glared at the elvenking. "You give that back!" She snarled. "My master gave me that necklace! It's very important to me!"

"All the more reason for me to look after it for you." Thranduil said with a caustic smirk. Edlyn glared at him harder and he simply gave a flick of his wrist, signaling his son and the guards to take her out.

"Hands off!" She said, pulling her arm out of Legolas' grip. "I can walk on my own." She turned to leave with them. But before she did, she leaned down until she was right next to Thorin's face. "Now I know why you don't like him." She said to him right before she was led out. Thorin smiled slightly at her comment.

Thranduil walked over and stood behind Thorin, who was facing the throne, and watched as she was led away.

"She is quite a harpy, isn't she?" The elvenking said. Thorin frowned at that comment. "As witty as she is fair, and that's saying something. If only she would learn to hold her tongue."

Thorin smirked with a small sense of pride. "She speaks how she wants, when she wants. And she usually only speaks disrespectfully to those who show her no respect." He said, emphasizing the last part.

"Or, she speaks disrespectfully because she has no respect." Thranduil said, causing Thorin to roll his eyes. "But I don't want to talk about her anymore; it's too tiring. I'd much rather talk about you, Thorin Oakenshield. That is why I brought you up here in the first place."

He paused.

"Some may imagine that a noble quest is at hand." The elvenking said. "A quest to reclaim a homeland, and slay a dragon."

* * *

 **A/N** **:** I just want to take a moment to specify the height differences here. Edlyn's height is 5'2 and Thorin's is about 4'11. That is why she had to lean down then kneel in order to hug him.

I am specifying this because I know if I don't, someone's going to try to correct me and say "no, Thorin is 5'2 as well." Actually, he's not. Everyone thinks he is because Richard Armitage (Thorin) said he was in that one interview. However, the creature design book for the first Hobbit movie (published by Weta Workshops, the design team that worked on the films, FYI) has a height chart in the back and it places Thorin's height at almost 4'11 (theoretically, 4'10.5), which, to me, makes more sense than him being 5'2 (I'm barely 5'2 myself and I seriously doubt that Thorin is as tall as me).

I'd imagine that for a dwarf to be 5'2, or anywhere above 5 feet, they would be considered to be freakishly tall in their culture. Even Thorin standing at almost 4'11 makes him a bit tall for a dwarf. Kili stands at about 4'8 and Tauriel did say that he was "quite tall for a dwarf". Anyway, I just wanted to clear that up since I already had a couple people correct me on this detail over on DA when I was writing this before.

Also, there is no music this time. I couldn't find one that fit. I think once we start to get more in line with the direction of the films I will be including less and less theme music.


	39. Book II CH 15: I Knew I'd Find You

**A/N** **:** Another warning; this chapter is very emotional, but well worth it! The emotion is all over the place here, so be prepared for a roller coaster ride!

* * *

 **~I Knew I'd Find You~**

* * *

 _Grief will turn to tears of joy and a broken soul will mend  
A fractured heart will beat once more with a love that has no end  
Reunited will two lovers be, though impossible, it did seem  
To feel each other's touch again means so much more than any dream_

* * *

Legolas and the other elves led Edlyn down to the dungeons. They stopped right before they made it all the way down as the elves took a moment to discuss whether they even had a cell to put her in and where she would be. They apparently had a couple cells on the other side that were unoccupied. When Edlyn asked if she had a say in the matter, Legolas answered with a cold "no".

Being her usual self, Edlyn started bickering with him and giving him a hard time. All the while, she could hear Thorin yelling at Thranduil above them and she smirked at knowing that she was not the only one who didn't mind mouthing off at the Elvenking. And, all the while, she didn't notice that all their chattering had caught the attention of one of the prisoners.

Bifur was in the cell that was closest to them and he heard the commotion. And, to his own shock, he recognized Edlyn's voice among the chatter, for he had a keen ear and had learned how to memorize the unique sound of different peoples' voices, despite the axe embedded in his head. He got up and peeked through the bars of his cell. That was when he spotted her there talking with the elves. At first he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him for there was no way it could be her, could it? He knew as well as anyone that she had fallen. He wasn't sure what he was seeing so he kept staring at her, trying to figure it out. It was then that Edlyn turned and locked eyes with him.

As soon as she saw Bifur looking at her from inside the nearest cell, she smiled wide and waved at him. Once she did, Bifur's jaw fell open and he clapped both his hands on the top of his head. It was then that he knew that it was really her! He didn't know how it was, he just knew it was. He grabbed the bars of his cell and started jumping up and down like a caged ape and shouting loud.

 _ **"Edlyn! Edlyn! It's Edlyn! She's alive! Edlyn's alive! Edlyn's alive!"**_ He chanted repeatedly in Khuzdul.

Some of the other dwarves heard him chanting, there was just one problem; none of them knew what he was saying. The reason for this is that sometimes when Bifur got excited he would unintentionally blur his words together. Even Bofur and Bombur who understood what Bifur was trying to say better than anyone couldn't understand what he was saying. Ultimately, everyone decided to pay him no mind and let him rant on, figuring that he was most likely just cursing at the elves, which they were all too happy to let him do.

Bifur's chanting was abruptly silenced when Legolas banged on the bars of his cell, yelling at him to be quiet. Bifur responded with a growl then watched as Edlyn was led further into the dungeons. On their way down, she turned and gave Bifur a quick wink before continuing on.

They walked down a series of stairs that passed a number of jail cells and as Edlyn took a split second to look in the cells as they passed them, she began to recognize the figures that were sitting within them. Her heart began to race as she saw each one of the dwarves sitting in the cells as they passed them. She looked on the other side of the large pit in the middle of the room and saw more dwarves in the cells on the other side. Surprisingly, none of them seemed to notice that she was there and she wanted to call out to them and let them know that she was there; to let them know that she was alive.

But all thought of that was soon forgotten...because that was when she saw _him!_

Edlyn only caught one glimpse of him; an all too familiar figure with golden locks seated in a cell on the other side. But, that was all she needed. Her heart started to pound harder than it ever did before.

"Fili." She said.

Suddenly, nothing could stop her! Without a thought, she broke into a run, pushing past the elf that was walking in front of her and knocking him against the wall as she ran down the stairs and across the narrow bridge. Legolas shouted for someone to stop her as she ran up the stairs on the other side.

"Fili!" Edlyn said as she fell to her knees in front of his cell.

Fili's head snapped in her direction when he heard her say his name. As soon as his eyes met hers, he frowned. She smiled, unable to contain her joy at finally seeing him again. However, her smile faded when she saw the look on his face.

As soon as he looked at her, Fili's eyes became cold and hard. He stood up from his seat and backed up against the wall on the other side. Anger and pain shown in his blue eyes behind tears that had formed there as well and the sight of it shocked the young healer.

"Fili?" She said.

* * *

Fili stared at the apparition in front of him; an apparition that looked just like Edlyn, staring back at him with the same eyes, the same smile, the same pleading look and speaking in the same voice that was hers. He felt anger towards himself and it showed. How could his mind betray him like this; making him see Edlyn when she wasn't there? How could his heart be so cruel to him? After so long, after so much grieving and cold nights alone, he had finally convinced himself to accept her death. Now, here he was again, seeing her in front of him as if she was really there. It hurt so much that he could no longer bear to even look at the cursed figure before him, so he turned his back on it in hopes that it might go away if he ignored it.

"You're not real. You're not real." He muttered.

* * *

Edlyn's heart broke in half and tears filled her eyes. Even though she understood why Fili was reacting this way, she couldn't help but feel heartbroken at him not recognizing that it was really her.

"Fili. Fili, my love." She said with a shaky voice. "It's me. I'm here, I'm alive."

Fili didn't even turn around. "Why must you torment me like this?" He said, shaking his head. "Haven't I suffered enough? Please, just leave me alone. Let me be at peace."

"Fili..." She said in a whisper.

Legolas, the she-elf and the other elf had followed Edlyn to the cell. The one elf was about to grab her and pull her away, but the she-elf told him to wait, then continued to watch the scene with curiosity.

Meanwhile, Oin and Gloin were together in the cell next to Fili's since the elves had paired some of the dwarves up in order to avoid running out of cells too fast. Gloin was in the back of the cell grumbling about how the blonde elf had insulted his wife and son while Oin had taken an interest in what was going on right outside their cell, which faced Fili's at a 90 degree angle. Even though Oin's hearing was failing, his eyes have always been very sharp, as was his mind. That was why, when he looked out of the bars and saw Edlyn there, he didn't question either.

"Gloin! Hey, Gloin!" He said, walking up to his brother. "Ya ain't gonna believe this, but Edlyn is alive! She's sitting just outside, there."

Gloin scoffed. "I doubt that, brother."

"I said ya wouldn't believe it, but it's true! Come, I'll show ya." Then, without thinking about what he was doing, Oin grabbed Gloin by his beard and started dragging him over to the bars.

"Ah! Not the beard, Oin! Not the beard!" Gloin shouted. Eventually, he succeeded in getting his beard out of Oin's grasp. "For Mahal's sake, Oin! What have I told you about touching me beard? Now, I say it again, ya couldn't have seen Edlyn. The lass is dead, we all know that. You've gone crazy, old man."

"What!? I'm a male! I can't have babies!" Oin said. "What's wrong with you!?"

"No." Gloin said with a sigh, remembering his brother's hearing problem. "I said you've gone _CRAZY!"_ He said a little louder.

"Blast it all!" Oin said with frustration. "I may be going deaf, but I ain't senile! And my eyes are still as sharp as they've always been! It's Edlyn! She's alive, I swear it! Just look, will ya?!"

Gloin let out another sigh and decided to comply. He looked out of the bars as Oin had said and his bushy eyebrows furrowed together in an open-mouthed frown when he saw Edlyn kneeling next to Fili's cell. Then, they shot up in surprise and he looked at Oin.

"There!" Oin said. "I ain't mad, am I? You see her too."

"Well, I see something." Gloin said. "That's not really her, is it? It can't be. It must be a hallucination or something."

"Unless you and I are seeing the same hallucination, which is impossible." Oin said. "And I don't think it's a ghost because ghosts can't interact with people like that."

"Well, it could just be someone who looks like her, with short hair." Gloin said.

Although her attention was focused on Fili, Edlyn couldn't help but overhear the two of them talking. She turned towards them and despite the tears, she looked Gloin right in the eyes and smiled.

"Hello, Ginger. Nice to see you again." She said.

Gloin's jaw fell open. 'Ginger' was the nickname Edlyn had given him on account of his red beard. No one else but her ever called him that, and there was no way a stranger would know about it.

"What? What did she say?" Oin asked. "Blast it, brother! I can't hear! What did she say?"

Gloin looked at Oin with his open-mouthed look that was soon replaced with a huge smile. "I don't believe it!" He exclaimed, letting out a laugh. "You were right, old man! Hey! Hey, everyone!" He shouted to the others. "It's Edlyn, she's alive!"

"Quiet!" Legolas ordered, banging on the bars of their cell.

"Oh, bug off, pointy!" Gloin growled, causing the elf prince to cock an eyebrow. "Lads, it's her! Edlyn's alive!" Gloin shouted, ignoring Legolas' orders.

"He's right!" Oin said. "Look! She is right there by Fili's cell!"

There was a silence that was followed by loud clamoring as all the dwarves jumped up from their seats and threw themselves against the bars of their cells to get a better look.

"Well, bless me!" Bofur exclaimed. "They're right! The lass is alive!"

 _ **"That's what I've been trying to tell you!"**_ Bifur said with a frustrated growl.

"She's alive! I don't believe it!" Balin said with a laugh.

"What?! Where!?" Kili said. "I can't see!"

"She's right above you, lad." Balin said. "She's kneeling next to Fili's cell."

"By my beard, it's true!" Dwalin said. "But how? How is she alive?"

"And what happened to her hair?" Nori asked.

The entire prison was soon echoing with the loud chattering of the dwarves as they exclaimed and shouted in shock and joy at seeing Edlyn alive. She looked around at them and smiled fondly. Good grief! Did she ever miss these hooligans!

She turned and looked at Fili. Her heart started to race when she saw that he had turned around at the words that the others were saying and his hard expression had softened into a look of hesitant hope as he gazed at her. She smiled softly and reached her hand through the bars, holding it out to him.

* * *

Fili's heart began to pound when he heard the others start shouting about how Edlyn was alive. At first he frowned, wondering how they were able to see her as well. Then, the thought hit him and that hopeful feeling inside him, the one that had been nagging at him since the day she fell, became stronger and he turned around and saw that she was still there. Her eyes met his and a soft smile formed on her lips as she reached her hand out to him. That hopeful voice inside him urged him to move forward, so he did. However, he hesitated in reaching for her outstretched hand, for fear that if he did, she would disappear, proving to be only a figment of his imagination or just a dream. And he wasn't sure if he could take that kind of heartbreak.

Then again, not knowing for sure was even worse.

His hand was shaking as he slowly reached forward to touch Edlyn's hand. His heart raced as he prepared himself for whatever truth that would be revealed once he did. Their fingers lightly brushed against each other right before his hand fell into her grasp, fitting perfectly together like two puzzle pieces. She smiled once it did and joyful tears started to fall down her cheeks.

Fili's heart nearly stopped beating! He could touch her! She wasn't a hallucination! And she wasn't a ghost because she wasn't cold like he would imagine death to be! She was warm! Warm and alive! His finger rested on her wrist and he could feel her heartbeat; her real, living heartbeat! It was beating in perfect harmony with his! So great was his joy and shock at this revelation that he fell to his knees against the bars with his hand still entwined with hers.

Edlyn smiled again. "I knew I'd find you."

Fili was breathless as she reached her hand up and cupped his cheek. He leaned into her touch, letting her warmth soak into him. It was a sensation he never thought he'd ever feel again.

"Am I dead?" He asked.

"No. No, you're not." Edlyn said. "And neither am I. And you're not dreaming either. I'm real, I'm alive."

Fili reached up and grabbed her hand that was resting on his cheek, kissing it right before a sob escaped his throat and tears started falling from his eyes.

"You're alive!" He said hoarsely. "But how? How are you alive?"

"It's a long story." She said. "Basically, I was saved by an eagle then got stranded in the Wild. Plus, all the usual; orcs, Wargs, skin-changers...giant spiders. I don't want to talk about it right now. I don't even want to think about it."

"I thought I lost you." Fili said.

"For a moment there, you almost did." She said. "There were so many times when I should have died, but I didn't. I kept on fighting."

"Why did you let go, Edlyn? I told you not to let go." He said. There was a hint of anger in his voice that she was kind of expecting.

"I let go to save _you_." She replied. "And I'd do it again, if I had to."

"I grieved for you, Edlyn." Fili said in earnest. "I thought you were dead."

Edlyn bit her lip and turned her eyes away to hold back the tears that inevitably fell. "I know." She said. "I'm sorry. I never meant to put you through that. Forgive me, please."

Fili placed both his hands on her cheeks and turned her gaze towards him. She looked at him with misty eyes and a tear streaked face and saw that he looked the exact same way. He wiped her tears away with his thumbs.

"Don't ever leave me again, Edlyn. Promise me." He said with a pleading tone.

"Never, Fili." She said. "I'm never leaving you. I love you."

"And I love you, fair maiden." He replied.

She laughed lightly. "I missed hearing you call me that."

She tried to lean forward and kiss him, but the bars of the cell were too thick. The two of them barely succeeded in touching foreheads. Edlyn's heart fell when she realized this because after being separated from Fili for so long, she yearned to feel his lips against hers, now more than ever.

"Curse these bars!" Fili said. "I'd have you in my arms already if they weren't holding me back!"

Edlyn sighed. "Maybe the elves will put us in the same cell. I don't ever want to be separated from you ever again."

They both leaned forward and rested their foreheads together, savoring what little closeness they had.

"Somehow, deep down, I knew you were still alive." Fili whispered.

The elves stood by and watched the scene silently, until Legolas turned to the she-elf. _**"Tauriel, we can't afford to let this go on any longer."**_

Tauriel looked at him. _**"Shouldn't we just put them in the same cell together?"**_ She asked.

 _ **"Tauriel, the rules prohibit it."**_ Legolas replied. _**"Male and female prisoners can not be in the same cells together. You know that. Now,**_ _**you said there were a couple extra cells over there, right?"**_

 _ **"Yes, it's just..."**_ Tauriel paused. _**"I don't want to have to deal with the trouble of having to pull those two apart."**_

Legolas tilted his head, wondering if that was the real reason why she was hesitating. _**"We don't have a choice."**_ He said.

Tauriel looked at him for moment before nodding. She turned to the other elf and spoke to him in elvish, ordering him to take Edlyn. The elf obeyed and stepped forward to grab her.

"Don't touch her!" Fili snarled, pushing the elf away.

The elf backed up, not to sure how to react. Legolas, on the other hand, had had enough of this. He walked forward himself and grabbed Edlyn. She shouted in defiance as she was literally pulled out of Fili's grasp, their hands slipping apart as she was dragged away.

"Let go of me! Let go of me!" Edlyn shouted as she fought against Legolas' hold. But he was a lot stronger than he looked. "FILI!" She shouted.

"Edlyn!" Fili shouted as he started ramming his body against the bars of his cell. "Leave her alone!"

"Oi! Let the lass go, you pointy-eared cretin!" Gloin yelled.

His protest was soon followed by the loud chatter of the dwarves as they all started yelling at Legolas to let her go. Legolas paid no mind to any of it. Edlyn continued to fight against his hold and yelling in defiance, shouting Fili's name. Fili called out to her helplessly from behind the bars while everyone else were rioting behind theirs. Before she knew it, Edlyn was practically thrown onto the floor of a cold cell.

The door was closed behind her before she even had a chance to get up. She ran up to the door and threw herself against the bars just as Legolas turned to leave. She angrily reached through the bars and actually succeeded in grabbing him by his hair from behind, causing him to spin around and stare at her. They both held eye contact as she gave him, what only could be classified as, The Mother of All Death Glares. Legolas appeared to be indifferent to her gaze as he turned and left, passing Tauriel who looked at the young healer with a hint of guilt in her eyes. On his way out, Legolas paused and looked at Fili, who was glaring daggers at him from within his cell. Legolas turned his head and left the dungeons, hiding the small flicker of remorse that appeared on his face.

After Legolas and the elves had left, Fili looked up at Edlyn and their eyes met. The cell she was in was on the other side and had a clear view of his cell. The two of them looked at each other with a distressed look.

"We'll get out of here!" He shouted to her. "I swear we will!"

Edlyn was in tears as she leaned against the bars of the cells. She was angry and heartbroken. After everything she had been through. Every hell, every horror, and every trial she endured just to be with Fili again, and for what!? So that she could be pulled away from him and locked up in a cold cell alone, separated from him once more? How could Fate be so cruel? How could it make her walk through the darkness then give her the light only to take it away and drag her down into the dark again with the light so far from her now? It was a heartless and unfair thing for Fate to do, but that's just how it is. And Edlyn knew that Fili was feeling the same way. They both felt cheated and lost. The only comfort they had was the knowledge of how close they were now despite the fact that they were separated again.

And neither of them had ever despised these elves any more than they did now.

* * *

 **A/N** **:** Well, that was brutal! I apologize for reuniting our young lovers only to have them torn apart. Don't worry; they will be properly reunited soon. If it's any consolation, Legolas does feel bad about what he did.

On the other hand, I really enjoyed writing the part with Oin and Gloin! I love those two brothers so much and I wish there had been more of them (and the other dwarves) in the films. So, I decided to give them a little love. By the way, when I write Gloin's lines, sometimes I like to use references to Gimli's lines in LOTR. Can you spot the one I used here? I think it makes sense since Gloin is Gimli's father for there to be parallels between them. Plus, it's just fun to put them there.

Anyway, you guys may notice that this is right about when my inspiration for the poems begins to lose steam. The poems aren't as good in the remaining chapters as they were before. That's why, from here on out, I will be using more poems that aren't mine.

 **Music** **:**

The music that plays when Fili and Edlyn are reunited is **Bound** by **Adrian von Ziegler.**

(song belongs to its respective owner)


	40. Book II CH 16: Tauriel

**A/N** **:** Some lines in this chapter were taken from the transcript. I will be using that more as the story goes on.

* * *

 **~Tauriel~**

* * *

 _The Daughter of the Forest, among the fairest of her kind  
Her spirit burns with fire that no one can keep confined  
Though fair she was in body and fierce she was in soul  
Her heart swelled with compassion even she does not control  
She walks among the forest by day, & with the stars by night  
And speaks with dwarves of beauty and whispers of starlight_

* * *

"Legolas said you fought well today." Thranduil said to Tauriel as she began to leave his chamber.

Upon hearing the compliment, Tauriel paused and looked at him with a smile.

"He has grown very fond of you." Thranduil continued, his voice becoming a bit icy.

Tauriel's smile dropped into a look of shock and embarrassment. She turned her head away. "I can assure you, my lord, Legolas thinks of me as no more than a captain of the guard."

"Perhaps he did once." Thranduil said as he walked past her to pour himself a drink. "Now, I'm not so sure."

Tauriel was silent for a moment as she remained rooted where she was, not even looking at him. The icy undertone of the king's voice was making her worried. She was not interested in Legolas in that way; if anything, he was more like a brother to her.

"I do not think you would allow your son to pledge himself to a lowly Silvan elf." Was all she could think of to say.

"No, you're right. I would not." Thranduil said coldly. "Still, he cares about you. Do not give him hope where there is none."

Tauriel silently remained where she was, her throat dry and her stomach in a knot. She wasn't sure which was worse; the possibility of Legolas having feelings for her that she did not return, or Thranduil thinking that she was pursuing his son when she wasn't. Both were equally as bad.

"Why are you still here?" Thranduil asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. "You may go now."

"Right, of course." She said as she turned and bowed to him before making her way to the door.

On her way out, Tauriel paused as she passed a small table that was close to the exit. On the the table, she saw the moonstone necklace and the eagle feather that Thranduil had taken off of Edlyn earlier. She looked at them for a moment then looked back at Thranduil. He had his back to her and was drinking his wine, seemingly oblivious to her presence. Then, casting one last glance between him and the items on the table, she very silently picked them up and gently slipped them into her sleeve so that no one would see them. Then, she looked back at Thranduil, who was still not paying attention to her, and walked out the door.

* * *

Edlyn was pacing back and forth in her cell. That was all she could really do right now since there was nothing much else to do anyway. Occasionally, she would look out and see Fili in his cell on the other side, and the two of them would just stare at each other. At first, that was all they did. Because of the distance between them, the only way they could talk to each other was to yell across the room. However, the elves always shouted at them to be quiet, so they decided to just remain silent and maintain eye contact instead. And the two of them were able to say more to each other that way than they ever could with words.

They spoke to each other with their eyes, and their facial expressions. It was amazing how a reassuring glint in the eye and a slight nod from Fili seemed to say _"Don't be afraid, Edlyn. We'll get out of here."_ while a small smile and shake of the head from Edlyn seemed to say _"I'm not afraid. I know we'll get out."_

The two of them would hold conversation non-verbally for hours; it was the only thing that got them through the past few days. Tonight, the conversation had ended and Fili had gone to sleep (seemingly). But Edlyn was still awake and pacing. She sat down on the structure that was the poor excuse for a bed and stared at the ground for a while.

Suddenly, she felt a presence nearby and when she looked up, she was surprised to see that red headed she-elf from before standing right outside her cell. She was looking at her through the bars with a soft smile and soft eyes, which only confused the healer further.

"How are you?" The she-elf asked.

"Why do you care?" Edlyn asked after a long pause.

"Because, I always look after the welfare of my prisoners." She replied. Edlyn scoffed and shook her head. It made her a bit angry to hear her say that after what happened. "Now, I ask you again..." She said. "...how are you?"

Edlyn smirked bitterly, stood up and walked over to the bars. She looked the elf right in the eyes. It was the first time she had actually gotten a good look at her. She was really very beautiful and it almost took her breath away. But, it didn't erase the resentment she felt.

"As well as could be expected from a woman who was just dragged away from her lover and locked up in a cage." Edlyn replied bitterly to her question.

The she-elf's face fell slightly and she lowered her eyes to the ground. "I am truly sorry."

The human rolled her eyes. "No, you're not. If you were, you wouldn't have done it."

The elf looked back up at her. "You don't know me." She said. "Don't pretend like you do. If you did, you'd know that I didn't want to pull you two apart. I wanted to put you in the same cell together. But the rules prohibit male and female prisoners from sharing the same cell. We had no choice."

"Another rule ordained by your wise king, I imagine." Edlyn said with sarcasm. The she-elf frowned a bit and nodded. "I thought so. He's a real charming fellow, your king."

"I know he may seem a little insensitive..." The she-elf began.

"A _little_ insensitive?!" Edlyn interrupted.

"...but, he cares greatly for his people." She continued.

"He just doesn't really care for people from other lands, I take it. Admit it; you question him as well. I can see it in your eyes." The she-elf said nothing, but Edlyn could see she looked conflicted. "And yet, you still follow him?"

"I am loyal to him, yes." The she-elf said. "I can't just say no. It's complicated. Like I said; you don't know me, and you don't know him. So don't get angry over things you don't understand."

"Angry!?" Edlyn said. "I've gone far beyond angry at this point. Maybe you shouldn't tell me how I should be feeling when you don't understand the situation yourself." She paused and stared at the she-elf as she looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

"He thought I was dead." Edlyn said, turning her head to look towards Fili's cell. The she-elf tilted her head curiously. "We were separated and he thought I was dead. For weeks, we were apart. All that time, he grieved for me, thinking that he would never see me again. And all the while, I was alive. I was stranded in the Wild, fighting my way though orcs, Wargs and spiders just to find him. He didn't know I was alive until that moment there." By this time, there were tears in her eyes. "And after all that, we find each other just to be pulled apart again?" She paused. "So yes, if I seem angry, I have a good reason to be!"

There was a short silence after that before the she-elf spoke again. "I truly am sorry." She said with sadness in her eyes. "That is all I can say."

"Just leave me alone." Edlyn said, really wanting her to just leave.

"Of course." She said. "But first, I have something else I wish to know."

Edlyn rolled her eyes and waited for her to continue. Then, to her surprise, the she-elf held up Faen's feather, which she apparently had hidden in her sleeve.

"Did you really befriend one of the Great Eagles?" She asked.

Edlyn sighed. "For the hundredth time; yes, I did."

"How?"

Edlyn's brow furrowed, wondering why she was so interested. "In short, I fell off a cliff, which was why the others thought I was dead." The she-elf tilted her head again. "But the eagle, she caught me as I fell. Unfortunately, not long after that, her wing was pierced by an orc arrow and she fell as well. We both got stranded in the Wild together. I bound her wound and in returned, she offered to help me find my friends. We grew close and protected each other, saving each others lives a couple times. Unfortunately, we were forced to part ways just outside Mirkwood. That was when she gave me that feather, as a token of good luck in finding my friends, and a symbol of the bond we have."

The she-elf smiled softly when she saw the fondness in Edlyn's eyes as she spoke of Faen. She looked down at the feather. "That is a very rare and wonderful gift, to win the friendship of one of the Great Eagles." She said. "Which is why this must stay with you." She then handed the feather to the young healer.

Edlyn was hesitant in taking the feather from her as she looked at her with a confused and suspicious expression. "Is this a trick?" She asked.

"No trick." The she-elf said.

Edlyn continued to look at her unsure as she slowly took the feather from her. The she-elf smiled as she did, and Edlyn gave her a small smile in return.

"Oh, and I believe this is yours also." The she-elf said as she held out her hand to reveal Edlyn's moonstone necklace dangling from her fingers.

The healer's mouth hung open slightly as she took the necklace from her and put it on. She gazed up at her with a look of curiosity and confusion, wondering what was wrong with this elf that and why she was doing this. The she-elf simply smiled at her confused look.

"You best keep those hidden." She said. "I don't want either of us getting in trouble."

Edlyn tucked the feather into her trousers and slipped the necklace under the neck of her tunic. The she-elf smiled again and walked away, leaving her confused and bewildered.

"Wait." Edlyn said to her, leaning against the bars of her cell. The she-elf paused and looked back at her. "What's your name?"

She smiled. "Tauriel."

"Tauriel. I'm Edlyn."

"I know. It's a pleasure to meet you, Edlyn" Tauriel said with another smile before she turned and walked away again. Edlyn turned around and stared at the wall, trying to figure out what just happened.

"The stone in your hand, what is it?" She heard Tauriel say. She turned around and saw her standing in front of Kili's cell.

"It is a talisman." She heard Kili say. "A powerful spell lies upon it. If any but a dwarf reads the runes on this stone, they will be forever cursed."

Edlyn heard Kili's voice intensify on that last part and Tauriel took a step back, then turned to walk away.

"Or not." Kili said. "Depending on whether you believe that kind of thing. It's just a token."

That remark was followed by Kili letting out a playful chuckle that Edlyn would know anywhere. She saw Tauriel smile in response. She rolled her eyes at Kili being the little flirt that he was and she suddenly had a flashback to when they were in Rivendell.

"Well, at least it's a female elf this time." She said to herself.

For most of the night, Edlyn listened to Kili and Tauriel talk about rune-stones, starlight and fire moons. It was all quite beautiful and as she watched them, she couldn't help but notice the way Kili looked at Tauriel as she spoke. It was the same face Fili had when he looked at Edlyn.

"Oh dear." She said to herself when she saw it.

She then looked up and saw Legolas watching them both from a distance. He did not look all that happy about their chat and she took a guess at what it might mean.

"Aw! He's jealous." She said to herself again.

For another hour Edlyn listened to the young dwarf and the young she-elf share stories with each other about their lives, their home and memories, not knowing that she would continue to hear similar conversations between them every night for the rest of their time in Mirkwood.

Eventually she grew weary of listening to them talk so she retired for the night, actually succeeding in falling asleep on the hard stone bed.

~Time Skip~

"I wager the sun's on the rise." Bofur said early one morning. "It must be nearly dawn."

"How long do you reckon we've been in here?" Gloin asked.

"About a month." Balin replied. "A few weeks, at the very least."

That remark was followed by a chorus of groans from the dwarves and Edlyn sighed as she leaned her head against the wall. They all knew that time was rapidly running out. Durin's day was nearly upon them and every day they spend in this prison was a day wasted. Edlyn really did not like these elves and she knew that everyone else agreed with her.

"We're never going to reach the mountain, are we?" Ori asked. The sadness in his voice was heartbreaking. It looked like all hope was lost at this point.

"Not stuck in here, you're not!" Rang out the voice of a familiar hobbit.

* * *

 **A/N** **:** So once again you guys may notice more stretching of the timeline here. In the films, they made it seem like the company was only in the Elves' prison for a couple days (I really wish that Peter Jackson would have clarified stuff like that more). However, in the book they were imprisoned for two to three weeks, because that's how long it took Bilbo to navigate through the halls and tunnels of the Elven kingdom before finding the barrels. In my story, I extended that time to one month (which means poor Meraell was waiting outside for that long!). I did this for two reasons; 1) to heighten the urgency of the situation given that they were running out of time (which makes Ori's comment towards the end have more meaning) and 2) to allow Kili and Tauriel to have more time to get to know each other.

That leads up to my next thing; my decision to include the Kili/Tauriel romance. I admit I was never really a fan of the whole Kili/Tauriel thing. I didn't think it was really necessary. However, I decided to include it anyway because I had some friends reading the story who were huge fans of it so I did it for them. Plus, I wanted to redeem the romance and make it deeper by giving them more time for their relationship to develop and evening it out a bit more. And after watching _Battle of the Five Armies_ and seeing how atrociously the romance was handled, I am so glad I did!

I also wanted to redeem Tauriel as well. I didn't mind her at the beginning, however I felt that her character was kind of flat (and got even worse in the third film). So, I decided to re-write her character a bit and make her less 2-dimensional by adding a level of complexity and conflict to her and her decisions. I'll be doing the same thing with Legolas as well. I hope it works.

I also should mention that the Tauriel/Legolas relationship is a bit different in my story than it was in the films. You'll see how later.

 **Music** **:**

The music that plays while Edlyn and Tauriel are talking is **Where the Shadows Cannot Reach** by **Adrian von Ziegler** (the same music that played when Faen and Edlyn were conversing by the campfire).

(song belongs to its respective owner)


	41. Book II CH 17: Barrels Out of Bond

**A/N** **:** The choreography for the barrel chase was taken directly from the transcript, along with some of the dialogue involved.

 **Special Announcement!**

One of my readers, _amandinesaot,_ has a birthday today (8/17/2016)! Their favorite scene is the barrel scene, and it just so happened that their birthday coincided with my posting of that scene in my story. So I waited a bit so I could post this on their birthday as a present and a thank you for all their love and support (honestly, I appreciate all the support I've been getting from all my readers! You guys rock!) Anyway, Happy Birthday, honey! Enjoy the rest of the journey!

* * *

 **~Barrels Out Of Bond~**

* * *

 _Down the swift dark stream you go  
Back to lands you once did know!  
Leave the halls and caverns deep  
Leave the northern mountains steep  
Where the forest is wide and dim  
Stoops in shadow grey and grim!_

 _-The Hobbit, Chapter 9, Barrels Out of Bond_

* * *

Edlyn leapt up from her seat when she saw that little misfit there, dangling the keys to the cells on his fingers.

"Bilbo!?" She exclaimed in surprise. Everyone else exclaimed as well but Bilbo shushed them.

"Shh! There are guards nearby!" He said as he unlocked Thorin's cell and let him out.

He then proceeded to free the others from their cells. All the while, Edlyn was wondering how he succeeded in getting a hold of the keys without being seen. Or, for that matter, how he even got into the woodland realm. Then, she remembered what she had seen that day in the woods. She remembered how Bilbo had literally vanished right before her eyes, as if by magic. She did not know how he did it or what caused it, but she was fairly certain that whatever it was had something to do with it. The whole thing left her feeling troubled and confused. Nevertheless, when Bilbo finally got to her cell and freed her, she scooped the little hobbit up in a tight hug.

"Yes, yes!" He said. "It's good to see you too, Edlyn. But we really need to go now."

Edlyn quickly set him down and he continued freeing everyone else. She barely moved an inch when suddenly, she felt someone hugging her around her waist, causing her to gasp. She looked down and saw Ori with his arms wrapped around her waist, clinging to her tight. He looked up at her with a look in his eyes that told her that he was so happy she was alive. Edlyn smiled and put her arms around him, bending down slightly to plant a light kiss on the top of his head.

Ori was soon joined by Dori, and Kili, and Bofur, as well as several more of the dwarves as they all encircled Edlyn in big group hug, nearly knocking her off her feet as they all murmured to her about happy they were to have her back. In the midst of this large display of affection, someone (most likely Bifur) pulled the healer to her knees, while Bilbo stood off with some of the older dwarves, looking very anxious. As she accepted the hugs she was receiving, Edlyn looked up and saw Fili standing some ways off. He was the last one to be freed and had just ran up to join the throng.

As soon as their eyes met, he ran towards her. Everyone else moved out of the way as Fili embraced her, almost knocking her over. Then, before she even had a chance to do or say anything, he crashed his lips into hers, kissing her with a desperate passion. And she certainly didn't hesitate to return it, kissing him just as desperately. The two of them held onto each other, her arms around his neck and his arms around her waist, pulling each other closer to deepen the kiss while everyone else looked on.

But, it was never enough, not for either of them. They just couldn't kiss deep enough or long enough. They had been starved of each other's kiss for so long, they kept wanting more.

This was it; this was what Edlyn had been dreaming of all those cold nights in the Wild. All the fighting, the monsters, the turmoil, it had all been worth it. She was where she wanted to be; in Fili's arms with his lips passionately dancing together with hers. She didn't want this to stop! Please, don't let this stop! If she could, she would have stayed like this forever. But, of course...

"Ahem…"

Edlyn and Fili broke away from each other and looked at Bilbo, who was the one who had spoken. The hobbit gave them both an awkward smile.

"Yes." He said. "This is beautiful and you both know that I would love to let this go on. However, the guards are going to be here any second, so we really need to go now!"

Edlyn and Fili both agreed and he helped her to her feet as they both followed Bilbo and the others with their hands entwined.

Bilbo led the company down to the cellars of Mirkwood where the wine was kept in barrels, much to the anger and confusion of everyone. What was this hobbit doing? He was supposed to be leading them out of here? This was not out!

Bilbo told them all to get in the barrels. Everyone started protesting, wondering if they should comply. It wasn't until Thorin spoke up and told everyone to do as Bilbo said that they all reluctantly got in the barrels. Despite the fact that Edlyn was the tallest one there, she was fairly thin so she just succeeded in fitting into one barrel by herself.

"What do we do now?" Bofur asked when everyone was inside the barrels.

"Hold your breath." Bilbo replied.

"Hold my breath?" Bofur asked. "What do you mean...?" His sentence was cut off when Bilbo pulled a nearby lever.

The next thing Edlyn knew, she was being knocked against the sides of the barrel as it tumbled through the trap door. Then the next second, she was submerged in water.

* * *

"Are you alright?" Fili asked Edlyn as soon as she got her barrel upright and steady since it had capsized when it hit the water.

"Other than the fact that I'm now soaking wet, I'm great." She replied, drawing a smile out of him as she started shaking out her wet hair. Thankfully, there wasn't a lot of it left.

After Bilbo fell through the trap door and got a hold of Nori's barrel, they all started paddling with her hands down the river.

"Hold on!" Thorin shouted right before they all fell down a waterfall into the rapids below.

Everything was a blur after that as the raging current carried them along. Edlyn couldn't really focus as the water splashed in her face and went in her mouth occasionally as she struggled to prevent the barrel she was in from capsizing again. In the distance, she heard someone shout something in elvish and the sound of a horn blowing. She looked ahead and saw a stone guard-post built above the river with heavily armored elves standing guard, waiting for them.

"No!" Thorin shouted when one of the guards pulled a lever and closed the metal sluice gate that was their only way out, causing all the barrels to stop. Thorin and the others tried to open it, but it was no use. This couldn't possibly get any worse, could it?

Of course it could!

Immediately, everyone heard the whizzing of an arrow and one of the elven guards fell down dead. They looked up and saw...orcs! Dozens of them! All of them crawling over the guard post, killing every guard in their path. Before they knew it, they were under attack! Orcs were jumping on them left and right. Because the company had no weapons (save for Bilbo, who did), they had to fight hand to hand. Once, Edlyn actually succeeded in punching an orc in the groin, which, when remembering her last encounter with Azog, seemed to be her new signature move.

Kili suddenly jumped out of his barrel and attempted to run up the stairs towards the lever that the elven guard had pulled earlier, dodging blows delivered by the orcs who attacked him. After Dwalin threw him a weapon (most likely taken off of a dead elf or orc), he fought off the orcs with everything he had. One orc grabbed him from behind and nearly choked him when suddenly, there came the whiz of another arrow and that orc released Kili and fell over dead with said arrow impaled through his head. Everyone turned to see who it was that had fired it and a smile spread across Edlyn's face when she saw a familiar raven haired elf bounding down the slope towards the guard-post.

Meraell.

He had been not that far away, scouting around the Woodland Realm, trying to find another way in when the alarm broke out about the dwarves' escape and he knew that the healer had to be with them. All the dwarves watched him in awe and confusion as he leapt onto the guard-post and didn't hesitate to plunge his sword right through the chest of the first orc who tried to attack him.

"Good day, my lady." He said to Edlyn. "Did you miss me?"

"You're late!" She replied.

"Well, you know how I love to make an entrance." He said with a smile. "One moment." He then swung his sword and beheaded another orc.

"What is _he_ doing here?!" Fili asked her.

"It's a long story, I'll tell you later." She replied.

Fili didn't look all too happy. Meraell continued to fight off the orcs that attacked him. And so did Kili, with some help from his brother. All Edlyn was able to do was fight off the orcs that were attacking her, with Fili trying to help her also. In the midst of it, she looked up and saw one big orc (Bolg, whom she remembered seeing with Azog before) pointing an arrow at Kili.

"Kili! Look out!" She shouted, but it was too late. Fili responded to her call and turned around just in time to see Kili get hit in the knee with an arrow, stopping him dead in his tracks before he reached the lever.

"Kili!" Fili shouted.

"No!" Edlyn shouted.

Meraell turned around at her cry and looked over to see Kili attempting to pull the lever but failing and falling on his back instead.

"Kili." Thorin said with a look of shock.

Another orc moved in to attack Kili but never got the chance before an arrow came flying out of nowhere and impaled it right through the head. Everyone looked towards the direction that the arrow had come from and saw Tauriel running through the bushes. She proceeded to fight the orcs with her bow and knife. Bolg ordered his men to attack her, and that was when Legolas and the other elves showed up and started fighting them. Kili used this distraction to try and grab the lever, but he was unable to. Aside from the pain his experiencing from the arrow, the lever was also jammed.

"Need some help?"

Kili looked up and saw Meraell standing over him, offering his help. Kili frowned in confusion, but nevertheless allowed Meraell to grab the lever and use his foot to kick the base of it, which loosened it. The two of them pulled the lever together and opened the sluice gate, allowing the company to float through right before Kili fell on his back again in pain. Bolg shouted at his men to follow them all.

"Kili!" Fili shouted to his brother, who was still on the guard-post.

Meraell grabbed Kili's hand and helped him sit upright. "Go! I'll cover you!" He said.

Despite being confused as to why this elf was helping them escape, Kili obeyed and slid himself over the ledge and into his barrel. As he did, the shaft of the arrow in his knee broke off on the edge of the barrel, making everyone, even Meraell, wince and temporarily distracting Tauriel, almost causing her to be killed by an orc. Thankfully, because of her elvish reflexes, she wasn't. Meraell cut down one more orc then looked over the guard-post and saw the rest of the orcs chasing the company down the river.

"Oh no!" He said.

Without even hesitating, he leapt over the guard-post and started running along the bank, firing arrows at every orc within range. Tauriel, Legolas and the other elves were not that far behind him.

Everything was a blur to Edlyn as she and the others rode down the raging rapids of the river. She was pretty much blinded by the water that constantly splashed in her face and deafened by the roar of the current. All she remembered seeing were the orcs that kept on attacking the company from every angle only to either be cut down by one of the dwarves or shot by one of the elves. She even saw Bombur take out a fair number of orcs on the shore while he was still inside a barrel. Impressive! Deep down, she always knew he had it in him!

Edlyn heard Fili shouting her name and she turned just in time to be attacked by an orc who had leapt onto her barrel. The orc unsheathed his knife and started swinging at her. All she could do was try and hold him back. She succeeded in punching him in the face, but that only made him angry. He was about to swing at her again when suddenly, an arrow hit him in the chest, causing him to fall in the water with a screech. Edlyn looked up and saw that it was Meraell who had fired it as he ran along the bank, drawing a smile out of her. However, she scowled when she suddenly felt something hard pressing on the top of her head then release. When she looked up, she saw Legolas bounding across the heads of the dwarves. Apparently, he had the nerve to use her head as a stepping stone, along with theirs. She really did not like him at all.

The chaos continued for a long while, with more orcs and more arrows. One time, Thorin actually succeeded in saving Legolas' life by throwing a knife and killing the orc that tried to attack him from behind. Whether the act was deliberate or not, no one else would ever know. The last of the orcs were killed by Legolas and he and Thorin watched each other as the company continued down the river, leaving the elves behind.

"Meraell!" Edlyn called when she turned and realized that he was no longer following them.

* * *

Meraell was on the bank of the river, killing the last of the three orcs he was fighting when he heard Edlyn shout his name. He turned and looked at her, her gaze meeting his. He gave her a soft yet sad smile and her face dropped with understanding; Meraell wasn't planning on following them. He was going to stay behind and hold off as much of the orcs as he could, giving them the head start that they needed. She understood that and he knew it.

 _ **"Stay safe, my love."**_ He said. He then turned and faced another orc who was snarling at him with his weapon drawn. _**"Come on, I can**_ _**do this all day!"**_ Meraell said, twirling his sword around in his hand.

The orc attacked first and Meraell's sword sang as it clashed with his. He succeeded in stabbing the orc in the knee. The orc fell to the ground, allowing Meraell to plunge his sword right through his chest, killing him. Suddenly, another orc came up from behind him and wrapped his arms around Meraell's neck, locking him in a choke-hold. Meraell felt his air being cut off, forcing him to drop his sword and fall to his knees as the orc tightened his grip, threatening to break his neck.

Thankfully, Meraell got the upper hand when his rammed his elbow into the orc's groin (a trick he learned from Edlyn), causing the orc to scream and let go of him. In one swift movement, Meraell grabbed the orc by the head and flipped him over his shoulders and threw him on his back with a painful thud. The orc got up off his back just in time for Meraell to whip out a small knife and plunge it up through the orc's jaw and into his skull. The orc fell down dead and Meraell staggered backwards a bit and wiped the orc's blood off his face. He tucked the knife back into his belt then picked up his sword and put it back in its sheath.

Suddenly, he heard someone behind him. Quick as a wink, he whipped out his bow and turned to face his opponent, his arrow nocked and ready to be fired. But he stopped when he came face to face, not with an orc but with Legolas, who was also pointing an arrow right at him. Meraell paused and the two of them just stared at each other with their weapons still drawn, Meraell's emerald eyes gazing deep into the woodland prince's pale blue ones.

 _ **"Lower your weapon.**_ " Legolas ordered.

Meraell turned his head slightly and saw Tauriel standing on his left, also pointing an arrow at him.

 _ **"Don't try it."**_ She said.

Meraell looked back at Legolas, and then slowly obeyed the order, lowering his weapon with an accepting look in his eyes. There was no point in fighting this.

 _ **"I have no quarrel with you."**_ He said as he gently placed his bow and arrow on the ground. _**"I am not your enemy."**_ Tauriel then proceeded to take Meraell's other weapons from him.

"You are not of the Woodland Realm." Legolas said. "You have the bearing of Imladris. One of Elrond's subjects and a warrior from what I've seen. Who are you?"

"I am Meraell of Imladris." Meraell replied. "I am the captain of Lord Elrond's guard." Tauriel looked at him when he said that.

"You are a long way from your home." Legolas said. "What business do you have in Mirkwood?"

"Nothing important." Meraell said.

"It _is_ important since you helped our prisoners escape." Legolas said. "Why did you help the dwarves escape? Why were you following them?"

Meraell gave him a small smirk. "That is my business, _mellon._ " He said. "And my business is no one's but my own."

Legolas narrowed his eyes. "Very well. Maybe you would prefer to discuss your business with my father, King Thranduil, instead?" It was an order, not a question and Meraell knew it. _**"Take him."**_ Legolas said to Tauriel, who obeyed. _**"Move out!"**_ He shouted to the other elves that were there.

Meraell looked over and saw a couple elves dragging along the orc that Legolas and Tauriel had captured for questioning. The orc looked at Meraell and snarled.

"You are planning on killing that thing, right?" Meraell asked Tauriel.

"Hopefully." She replied before she grabbed his arm and followed Legolas back to the Woodland Realm.

* * *

 **A/N** **:** I apologize for the little heart attack I probably caused you guys to have there. I bet you thought Meraell was a goner, didn't you? Well, thankfully he was not. I would never just kill Meraell off. He's my baby! Besides, I told you guys that he would have a happy ending and find his One. Do you really think I would get your hopes up like that only to rip them to shreds? Certainly not! I have too much planned for him to just let him go like that.

I admit, I personally think that the barrel chase scene was another thing PJ added to the movies that didn't need to be there. However, it's not something that I felt desperately needed to be removed so I kept it just because it's tons of fun. I even included that ridiculous stunt Legolas does when he bounds across the heads of the dwarves. What can I say? That part makes me giggle. I didn't feel the need not to include it, even though I will be eliminating most of the stunts Legolas does in the third movie since I can't stand them. Also, I just HAD to include Bombur in a barrel! It would have been a CRIME to include the barrel scene and NOT also include Bombur and his barrel stunt.

 **Music** **:**

The music that plays when Meraell arrives is **Through Enemy Lines** by **Antti Martikainen** (the same music that played when he saved Edlyn from Azog. I've pretty much decided that this is his theme music).

(song belongs to its respective owner)


	42. Book II CH 18: My Name is Bard

**A/N** **:** I should say to you all, and this is not meant to be negative, but you, my FF readers, are really spoiled! You guys usually only have to wait a couple days for me to update since I already have a lot of the story already written and all I have to do is spent about an hour editing each chapter beforehand.

Meanwhile, my DA readers usually have to wait a week for me to update, sometimes even longer depending on how motivated and inspired I am. They currently have been waiting for almost a year for me to update again (school and writer's block has been holding me back). So, you guys are very lucky that I had the motivation to do this story over the summer. Once school starts I won't be able to update as frequently, and I might even take a little break after the next chapter.

Alright, pointless yapping over; on with the story!

* * *

 **My Name Is Bard**

* * *

 _Born and bred on treacherous waters  
The widowed father of a son and two daughters  
Descended from greatness yet to poverty, was born  
And the mistake of his ancestor left him subject to scorn  
But within this grim faced man who bears the weight of his past  
Lies the heart of a hero who will not finish last._

* * *

"Anything behind us?" Thorin asked.

"Not that I can see." Balin replied.

"I think we've outrun the orcs." Bofur said.

 _"Thank goodness!"_ Edlyn thought to herself.

She thought they'd never lose those orcs. It looks like luck was on their side. Although it most likely wasn't going to last. The rapids of the river had finally calmed down, which was a bad thing since it made it easier for the orcs to catch up to them. Not to mention that everyone was battered, bruised, soaking wet and nearly half drowned.

"Make for the shore!" Thorin said. "Come on, let's go!"

They all started to paddle towards the shore. It was a difficult task for Edlyn because the barrel she was in was extremely unsteady. Plus, she was slightly taller than everyone else. She let out a yelp when her barrel completely capsized and she fell into the water.

"Edlyn!" Fili said. "Are you alright?"

Thankfully, they were so close to the shore at this time that the water only went up to Edlyn's hips. She stood up and looked at Fili with a slight glare.

"Well, I hate barrels now, if you want know." She said.

"Trust me lass, we all do." Balin said, and everyone agreed.

"Well, pardon me!" Bilbo said defensively. "It was the only thing I could do to get you lot out of there. So please stop being so ungrateful."

Edlyn gave Bilbo an apologetic look and he gave her a forgiving nod. She understood what he did and she was grateful. However, she had no desire to go climbing into anymore barrels anytime soon.

Once they were on the shore, Edlyn sat down and removed her boots to dump all the water out of them. When she finished, she stood up and shook the water out of her hair. As she did, she paused and cast her eyes upstream in the direction from which they had come. She stood there in silence with a worried look on her face.

"What's wrong?" Fili asked, suddenly appearing next to her.

"He stayed behind." Edlyn said.

Fili looked at her with a confused frown. She turned and looked down at him.

"Meraell." She said in answer to his unspoken question. "He stayed behind to hold off the orcs so we could get away."

She turned and looked back upstream. Her heart sank and she felt fear. She just couldn't forget the look in Meraell's eyes that she saw right before the current swept her away with the others; a look that showed her everything that was in his heart. She could see his intentions right there in his eyes, and she feared for him. She hoped with all her heart that her friend's sacrifice was not too great.

"I hope he's alright." She said.

"Who cares?!" Dwalin said. Edlyn frowned and looked at him. "If that pointy-eared elfling wants to get himself killed by orcs, I say let him! They can have his skin for all I care!"

Edlyn's eyes hardened as she looked at Dwalin. She walked right up to him and stared hard at him with a gaze colder than ice. He held his eye contact with her, thinking that he could easily intimidate her with his stare. But she didn't flinch, not even once, which surprised everyone, especially Dwalin. His hard expression fell slightly and he lowered his eyes, taken aback by her icy gaze.

Everyone was shocked! This was the first time Edlyn had ever succeeded in staring Dwalin down and making him break his gaze, or was even brave enough to try it. At the beginning of the journey, she wouldn't have even dared to look Dwalin in the eyes in such a manner; his mean-looking, gruff exterior intimidated her immensely. But now, after everything she had been through and all the monsters she had to face (namely Azog), Dwalin no longer frightened her anymore. That being said, she certainly were not going tolerate him speaking so coldly of her friend.

"I know that you don't like elves." She said to Dwalin. Her tone was cold. "And after what happened back there, I completely understand. But Meraell pretty much betrayed the wood elves, his own kin, just so that we could escape. And goodness knows what else he sacrificed in the process; his honor, his freedom, maybe even his life. Not to mention that he saved my life a couple times as well. If it wasn't for him, _Azog the Defiler_ would have had my head!"

Everyone looked at her in shock when she said that.

"So whether you like it or not, we _all_ owe him our lives." She looked back at Dwalin who simply looked up at her. "You had better hope that he's alright!" She said coldly.

Everyone was silent after that. Everyone, that is, except for Kili, who started groaning in pain and clutching his wounded thigh were the arrow had hit him. Edlyn and Fili immediately ran to his side just in time to hear him say to Bofur:

"I'm fine. It's nothing."

"It's never nothing, Kili." Edlyn said.

Despite his protests, her and Fili started binding Kili's wound with a piece of cloth which was the only resource they had right now. As a healer, Edlyn really wished that she had some medicine to use. She worried that his wound might get infected or worse.

Thorin told them to quickly bind Kili's leg while everyone else discussed what to do next. Bilbo, that optimist, said that they should go right to the mountain while the dwarves pointed out that they had no way to cross the lake, no weapons and a pack of orcs hunting them all like animals. Unfortunately, they had a point. It didn't look like there was much hope. But, then again, what other choice did they have but to move forward?

"Bind his leg, quickly." Thorin said to Edlyn. "You have two minutes."

She nodded in response and did as she was told. As she did, everyone suddenly felt a strange presence nearby. They all turned around and saw the semi dark silhouette of a man standing behind them, pointing an arrow at Ori.

Immediately, Dwalin leapt in front of Ori with a large branch in his hands and raised it, ready to attack the man. He didn't get the chance because at that moment, the man fired an arrow and it hit the branch, right in between Dwalin's hands. The man then turned and fired another arrow at Kili, knocking the rock out of his hand that he had picked up to throw at him.

"Do it again and you're dead." The man said.

His voice was deep and gravelly. No one moved a muscle and they stared at the stranger. Even though she couldn't see his face too well, Edlyn could tell by what she was able to see of his clothes that he was no elf. And he was certainly too tall to be a dwarf. So it was obvious that he was of the race of Men, which wasn't much of a surprise since the company had to be pretty close to one of their settlements right now. Edlyn wasn't sure whether to be scared for the threat this man might pose, or thrilled at finally seeing someone of her own race for the first time in months. Both emotions were there, so she went with both.

"Excuse me." Balin said to the man with his hands raised. "But, uh, you're from Lake-Town, if I'm not mistaken? That barge over there, it wouldn't be available for hire, by any chance?"

The man lowered his bow with intrigue. Edlyn released the breath she was holding, thankful that Balin was there to make negotiations.

* * *

A few minutes later, they were all standing around watching the man load all the empty barrels onto his barge as Balin tried to convince him to help them. In this light, Edlyn was easily able to get a better look at the stranger. He was handsome, in a rugged, roguish kind of way, as she could see. His hair was black as ebony with some grey strands on the side and his eyes were dark yet soft with a hint of sadness in them. His face was etched with many lines, although they were most likely from worry rather than age since he didn't look any older than his mid to late thirties. His clothes were ragged and worn, which suggested that he was of a lower class and lived a poor, humble life. As Balin talked to him, the company learned that he was a widower with two daughters and a son whom he worked hard to feed. The conversation went on for a bit before Dwalin interrupted.

"Oh come on, come on." He said. "Enough with the niceties."

"What's your hurry?" The man asked.

"What's it to you?" Dwalin retorted.

"I would like to know who you are and what you are doing in these lands." The man said.

"We are simple merchants from the Blue Mountains journeying to see our kin in the Iron Hills." Balin replied. Nice one!

"Simple merchants, you say?" The man said with disbelieving look on his face.

Then his eyes caught Edlyn's and he looked slightly surprised to see her, like he just noticed she was there. She gave him a nod to confirm what Balin just said, even though she knew it was a lie. Balin and Thorin kept trying to convince the man to help them, but he was very intuitive and revealed that he knew they had just come from the Woodland Realm and whatever had happened to them there did not end well. He had no idea, honestly. He also told them that the master of Lake-town would rather lock them all in cages than risk the wrath of the Elvenking.

"I'll wager there are ways to enter that town unseen." Balin said.

"Aye." The man said. "But for that, you'll need a smuggler."

"For which we will pay double." Balin said.

The man looked at Balin suspiciously for a minute. "Very well." He said. "Just let me load these barrels onto the barge then we'll get going."

Everyone nodded then waited a minute for the man to finish loading up the barrels. Edlyn stayed with Fili to look after Kili.

"Alright, we're all set." The man said when he was done with the barrels. "Ladies first." He said, looking directly at Edlyn and holding his hand out.

The young healer paused and looked down at Fili who looked at her with raised eyebrows, as did everyone else.

She shrugged and walked forward. "Why thank you." She said as she took the man's hand. "How very courteous of you."

The man flashed her a charming smile as he helped her onto the barge. He then motioned for everyone else to climb aboard, receiving a few glares from the dwarves as they did as they were told. Once everyone was on board, they set sail.

* * *

The ride was long and mostly silent. The bargeman was in the back steering the vessel while the dwarves kept their distance from him and remained near the front. Edlyn and Bilbo, however, were closer to the back were the bargeman was. Unlike the dwarves, she trusted this man a bit more than they did. He seemed friendly enough, although that didn't mean that he wasn't capable of betraying them later, so she remained cautious yet warm. Strangely though, she found herself drawn to this stranger. Not in a romantic way, of course, but she felt the desire to just be close to him. She found herself craving his company. Well, after all, she hadn't interacted with another human (or the closest thing to another human) since she parted ways with Master Redd months ago. So, of course, being near one was very refreshing.

"By the way." Bilbo said to the man. "What's your name, stranger?"

The man smiled. "Bard. My name is Bard." He said. "And yours?" He asked, looking between Edlyn and Bilbo.

"I'm Edlyn." She said. "And this is Bilbo Baggins." Bilbo nodded in greeting to Bard who nodded back.

"So tell me." Bard said. "What is a hobbit and a human woman doing with a company of thirteen dwarves from the Blue Mountains?"

Edlyn and Bilbo glanced at each other, exchanging a look between them that seemed to say 'what do we do?'

"Um, I'm not entirely sure about Mr. Baggins here." Edlyn said, saying the first idea that came to her mind. "But I think they were passing through the Shire on their way to the Iron Hills and paid him a visit because Balin, that white haired dwarf you spoke to before, is an old friend of his. Am I right?" She asked Bilbo. Bilbo nodded quickly to confirm her lie. "Anyway, they asked him if he wanted to go to the Iron Hills with them and for some surprising reason that is unknown to me, he said yes. And that's the truth." She was amazed at how calm she was as she spoke.

Bard simply nodded in response. It looked like he wasn't sure if he should believe her or not. "And what about you?" He asked her.

She chose to tell him a little bit of the truth. "Well." She said. "I'm a healer by profession. I travel a lot with my trade. Anyway, I was working in Bree when they passed through. They asked me if I would join them and I accepted the invitation since I had never been to the Iron Hills before."

"And they trusted you?" Bard asked with an amused look.

Edlyn chuckled. "Well, it took a while for it to happen, especially with Smiley over there." She said, motioning towards Dwalin. "But yes, they did. Although they already had a healer in their group, the grey haired one over there..." She motioned to Oin. "...he's not as young as he used to be. His fingers are not as nimble and his hearing is going. So, they needed me to help him when it was necessary."

"So, they're willing to trust you with that yet they won't trust me?" Bard said. "And we're of the same race."

"Well, they know me better than they know you." Edlyn said. "And don't forget, when they first met you, you were pointing an arrow at them. So, I think they have the right to be cautious."

"True." Bard said. "And I believe the fact that you're a woman might have something to do with it, right?" Edlyn laughed and nodded with a roll of the eyes. "I can see why." He said.

Bilbo raised his eyebrows at Bard's remark and Edlyn looked at the bargeman with the same reaction. "Are you flirting with me, Master Bard?" She asked.

"If that's the way it sounded, that was not my intention." Bard answered.

"Good. Because if you were, I would have smacked you." She replied.

Bard raised his hands defensively. "Then I'll say no more as to not risk being misunderstood by you again."

Edlyn nodded then walked over to the rest of the group with Bilbo.

"Edlyn." Fili said, approaching her. He had been watching her and Bard talk together and laugh. "What are you doing?

"I was just having an innocent conversation, Fili." She said. "I haven't spoken to another of my own race in months. I'm allowed that luxury just this once."

"Just be careful." He said. "We know nothing about this man, or his intentions."

"Intentions?" She said. "You're not jealous, are you?"

"No." Fili said quickly. She gave him a smirk, but he looked up at her with a serious expression. "I spent almost a month thinking you were dead." He said gravely, making her smirk fade. "I'm allowed to be concerned for your safety."

She gave him a soft smile then gently placed her hand on his cheek, which he leaned into right before she bent down and kissed his forehead.

"I understand." She said. "And I appreciate your concern. However, you have no reason to be worried. Believe me, after what I've been through, I can take care of myself." She gave him a reassuring smile and he responded with a weak one.

"By the way, lass." Bofur said approaching the healer. "You never really told us what happened to you when you fell in the Misty Mountains." Immediately, everyone else looked at Edlyn expectantly, especially Fili. "You never told us how you survived or anything." Bofur continued.

Edlyn paused and looked at them all for a moment. "That's a long story." She said.

"Well, it's a long boat ride." Bard said. "You might as well keep everyone entertained."

She looked at him. "Alright." She said to him. "But it's none of your business. Understand?"

Bard waved his hand to signal his understanding. But, just to be cautious, she moved to the front of the barge and out of Bard's earshot, knowing that his suspicions would be raised if he heard anything.

Edlyn sat at the head of the barge while some of the dwarves sat on the floor like children gathered for storytime. Others chose to stand and listen as she gave them the detailed account of her misadventures after the incident in the Misty Mountains. They listened in awe and intrigue as she told them about Faen, even showing them the feather she had given her, making sure that Bard didn't see it. She received some gasps and sneers as she told about her encounters with the Warg riders and especially with Azog, However, she did succeed in drawing some smirks and chuckles out of them all when she told them how she had elbowed Azog in the groin.

"I don't think he will recover from that one for a LONG time." She said. Even Thorin smiled a little bit.

Out of the corner of her eye, Edlyn saw Fili tense a little bit when she spoke of Meraell, telling them about how he saved her, their time at Beorn's and when she spent three days in Mirkwood with him as her companion. It was hard for her to talk about Meraell since she had no idea whether he was alive or not. She had no idea what had happened to him and she was scared.

She hoped he was alright, wherever he was.

* * *

 **A/N** **:** Am I going to get smacked for having Bard be a roguishly charming gentleman and accidentally (yeah, sure) flirting with Edlyn? If so, then the abuse will be well worth it! I couldn't help myself. I mean, come on! It's Bard! If you dare to say that you don't have even the slightest crush on Bard, you are a filthy liar! I don't see how anyone could not at least like that gorgeous bowman!

But don't worry; Bard's accidental flirting only happens once and he won't be put on Edlyn's list of admirers. That list already has more than enough people on it already.

No music, sorry.


	43. Book II CH 19: One Captain to Another

**~One Captain to Another~**

* * *

 _Captains of the elven guard. Warriors, fierce and bold  
In separate realms, their duties lie. And different lords, they uphold  
The morals of their lords and kings may be different, that's true  
But these captains share an understanding, and a common view_

* * *

~Meanwhile, in Mirkwood~

"I do not understand why you feel the need to be silent, my friend." Thranduil said. "We have no intentions of hurting you. All we want to know is why you were following the dwarves and of what importance they are to you."

Thranduil turned and looked at Meraell as he stood before him in the throne room. Tauriel and Legolas stood to the side and observed as their king interrogated the young captain, who had been stripped of his weapons and his cloak.

In response to Thranduil's remark, Meraell simply looked straight ahead with a straight face. "As I have told your son, your highness, that is not your business."

"It _is_ my business!" Thranduil hissed, getting really close to Meraell's face. Meraell did not flinch, however, nor did his eyes cease looking forward. "Your actions interfered with the capture of _my_ prisoners." Thranduil said. "And it took place in _my_ kingdom. Therefore, it is certainly my business! And I want to know why you were following them." Meraell did not answer. "Did Lord Elrond send you?"

For the first time, Meraell turned and looked Thranduil right in the eyes. "No." He said. "I can assure you, my Lord Elrond has nothing to do with this. He knows not of my venture; I came here on my own accord."

"Again, why?" Thranduil asked. "Why were you following the dwarves?"

Meraell let out a sigh. "Let's just say that Thorin Oakenshield and his company are carrying something with them that is very precious to me." He replied.

"And what does Thorin Oakenshield have of yours that you would go to such great lengths to retrieve?" Thranduil asked.

Meraell looked at him again. "I never said it was mine. It's just very precious to me."

"Is that so?" The Elvenking asked. "If this thing is so precious to you, why did you help Oakenshield and his company escape with it?"

"Because I would do anything to make sure that it is safe." Meraell replied. "Even if it means letting it go." As he spoke, Tauriel watched and listened with intrigue.

"And what is this thing that you value so much?" Thranduil asked. "A priceless treasure of gold, silver or jewels? Or something much more valuable?"

"Now _that_ , your highness, _is_ my business, not yours." Meraell said. "And I will say no more."

"Father." Legolas said. "He is not going to talk. We will get more information out of the orc than him."

Thranduil looked at Legolas then at Meraell. "Very well." He said. "Perhaps some time in the dungeons will encourage you to talk." He spoke in elvish. _**"I am patient; I have an eternity to wait."**_

Meraell smirked. _**"As do I, your highness."**_

Thranduil's eyes narrowed and he gave a flick of his wrist, signaling the guards to escort Meraell out. As Meraell was led out, he made brief eye contact with Tauriel, who watched him leave with curiosity at everything he had just said. Once Meraell was out of the throne room, the orc that Tauriel and Legolas had captured before was brought forward for questioning. Tauriel stood back and observed as Thranduil interrogated the orc.

* * *

"I do not care for one dead dwarf."

Thranduil's words echoed in Tauriel's ears, making her blood boil as she exited the throne room. She didn't even turn around and look at him as she descended the stairs and paused for a minute in one of the hallways that led away from the throne room. The king's lack of regard for the lives of those who were of other races upset her immensely. How could he not care? How could he be so cold? The more she thought about it, the more her anger seethed within her.

And the orc's words repeating over and over again in her head wasn't helping either. Oh, how she wanted to kill that filth! If Thranduil hadn't stopped her, she wouldn't have hesitated to slice his throat! In fact, it would have been a pleasure. His mocking laughter, snarls and gnashing teeth were still imprinted in her memory. As were his sadistic words.

She remembered what he had said about that young brunette dwarf, Kili, his name was. If what he said about the arrow was true, then Kili was in grave danger. Her heart sank at the thought. She did not know what it was about that dwarf that she found so endearing and charming. In the little time she had known him, he had stirred something inside her. Whether it was friendship or something more, she did not know right now. It was too soon to tell. But, somehow, she felt the need to protect him. A part of her wanted to run out the door and go after him, and another part of her was preventing her from doing so.

Other than the fact that she had never even been outside the Woodland Realm before (the thought of which terrified her a bit), she also couldn't just disobey Thranduil and leave. He was more than just her king; he was like a father to her. Even though she questioned his reasoning and motives sometimes she couldn't deny that she loved him as a daughter would love a father. He took her in, raised her and loved her like she was his own child when no one else wanted her. In the six centuries since her parents died, he and Legolas had become her family. She loved them and she needed to stay with them. But at the same time she wanted to go help Kili.

She didn't know what she wanted to do! Her heart was being torn in two different directions! She felt conflicted and she knew she had to make a choice soon.

But first, there was someone she had to talk to.

* * *

Tauriel made her way down to the dungeons and approached the cell where Meraell was being held.

 _ **"Leave us."**_ She said to the guards there. _**"I wish to speak with this prisoner alone."**_

The guards did as they were told, not even questioning her. Once the guards were gone and they were alone, Tauriel looked at Meraell through the bars with a slight smile. Meraell was seated on the stone structure that served as a bed, staring down at the ground. He looked up at Tauriel out of the corner of his eye then back at the ground, doing his best to ignore her.

 _"Bain calan, mellon-nin_."* She said.

Meraell turned and looked at her. "Friend?" He said in the Common Tongue. "You call me friend?" He stood up and looked at her, cocking an eyebrow. "Tell me, is _this_ how you treat your 'friends', and others of your own race? By locking them up in cages? Or are you just mocking my current situation by placing that label on me?"

"I did not come down here to mock you." Tauriel said. "I just want to talk."

Meraell tilted his head. "Very well." He said. "What do you wish to talk about?"

"I want to know." Tauriel said. "I want to know why you were following the dwarves, and what they are carrying with them that you hold so dear."

Meraell shook his head slightly in disbelief. "I wasn't even willing to tell King Thranduil the truth. What makes you think I will tell you?"

"Because unlike King Thranduil, I'm not interrogating you." Tauriel replied. "I'm asking nicely."

Meraell nodded. "Well, I appreciate that. Therefore, I will answer in just the same manner." He said. "I am sorry, but I can not tell you. It is a personal matter."

Tauriel cast her eyes downward. "It was her, wasn't it?" She said. Meraell's expression fell a bit. "That young woman that was traveling with them, Edlyn. You were following them because of her. She's the treasure you spoke of, isn't she?"

Meraell sighed and turned his eyes away. He knew that his face and eyes betrayed him. This was one of those moments where he really wished he was better at keeping his emotions hidden. After a few moments, he looked back at Tauriel, who gazed at him expectantly.

"Now why would you ask a question that you already know the answer to?" He asked.

"So it _is_ true?" Tauriel said. "You care about her very much. So much so that you were willing to sacrifice your freedom for her."

"If I had no other option, I would die for her!" Meraell said.

Tauriel gave him a sympathetic smile. "But she doesn't share your feelings, does she?" Meraell sighed again and shook his head. "And yet, you're still willing to risk so much for her? Why?"

"Because…" Meraell said. "…that's what you do when you love someone; you protect them at all costs. But only if it's what your heart is telling you to do."

Tauriel paused and gazed at the ground thoughtfully for a long moment. Meraell raised his eyebrows when he saw the thoughtful look on her face and he smirked when his intuition kicked in.

"Is that all?" He asked.

Tauriel nodded. "Yes, it is. Thank you." Then she turned to leave.

Meraell smirked again. _"Mellon!"_ He called to her. She paused and turned to look at him. "As one captain to another, I highly suggest that you make sure that your blades are sharp and your bow is prepped well if you wish to track the orcs on your own."

Tauriel frowned. "I never said I was planning on tracking the orcs."

"You didn't have to." Meraell said confidently, his smirk never faltering.

Tauriel shifted when she realized that her plans had been figured out.

"However." Meraell said. "It would be a shame if something happened before you left. Say, like if I were to tell everyone what you were planning on doing before you even had a chance to get out the door."

Tauriel looked at him in disbelief. "You wouldn't."

"Well, given the nature of our relationship and the fact that you have locked me in a cage, I really don't owe you any favors so yes, I say I would." Meraell said slyly. "In fact, I think I'll do it right now." He opened his mouth like he was about to start yelling.

"No, please don't." Tauriel said quickly with a worried look on her face.

Meraell shut his mouth before any noise came out and smiled. "Just as I thought. You're not even supposed to be going after the orcs. It goes against your orders, doesn't it? You'll get in trouble if anyone finds out." Tauriel sighed at Meraell outwitting her. "Well, if you want me to remain silent, you have to do something for me first."

"What?" Tauriel asked suspiciously.

"Wait." Meraell said. "Before I tell you what it is, you have to swear that you'll do it first. Once you do it, I won't tell anyone, I promise."

"I'm not going to regret this, am I?" She asked.

"That depends on you." Meraell said. "But considering the fact that your about to defy the orders of your king anyway, a decision that is usually riddled with regret, I don't see what else you have to lose." Tauriel hesitated. "So, do you swear?"

Tauriel sighed. "Alright, I swear. Now, what is it that you want?"

In response, Meraell simply smiled.

* * *

 _ **"Close the gate!"**_ Legolas ordered the guards as he approached the gate. _**"Keep it sealed by order of the King."**_ He then turned to leave.

 _ **"What about Tauriel?"**_ One of the guards asked.

Legolas stopped in his tracks. _**"What about her?"**_

 _ **"She went into the forest armed with her bow and blade."**_ The guard replied. _**"She has not returned."**_

He pointed out into the forest in the direction that Tauriel went as Legolas walked up to his side, looking out into the forest anxiously.

 _ **"She was accompanied by another**_ _**elf."**_ The guard continued.

Legolas looked at him with a confused frown. _**"Who?"**_ He asked.

 _ **"I don't know. His face was hidden by his hood."**_

Legolas looked at him for a moment, and then realization dawned on his face.

"She didn't!" He said, mostly to himself as he turned and quickly made his way to the dungeons. Once he got there, he went to one particular cell and stopped.

"She did." He said with a sigh when he saw that the cell was empty and their newest prisoner was gone.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tauriel trekked through the underbrush of the forest as she continued on her hunt for the orcs.

By her side was her mysterious Elven companion, whose emerald green eyes glistened with satisfaction underneath his brown hood.

* * *

 **A/N** **:** This is right around the time when I began to notice that I was putting a bit too much Loki into Meraell's personality. I mean, seriously, his exchange with Tauriel here is so something Loki would say and do. So it seems that Meraell's personality is a combination of Tom Hiddleston's personality with some of Loki's mischievousness and deviousness mixed in. I didn't realize until much later that by writing Meraell that way, I had unintentionally written him as a _pure Tolkien elf!_ In the book, the elves, especially the elves from Rivendell, are described as being clever, playful and mischievous but ultimately friendly creatures, just like Meraell is (we'll see stronger examples of this later). So I ended up keeping his behavior true to Tolkien's work without even realizing it. How cool is that?

Next, I want to point out that the part in the middle when Tauriel is conflicted about what to do and reflects on her relationship with Thranduil and Legolas is something I just recently added to the story. All that stuff was part of the backstory that the writers of the Hobbit movies had created for Tauriel's character, and I always hated how her behavior in the films (especially the third film) was so out of sync with that backstory. The fact that she just up and left Mirkwood and turned her back on Thranduil and Legolas, who she is supposed to love as family, without so much as a hint of hesitation or conflict is something that I was really bothered by. So, I decided to add that hesitation, that conflict, to her decision as another attempt to add more dimensions to her character.

Lastly, the guard at the end who announces Tauriel's departure has a name. His name is Elros, but I never liked him having that name. Because Elros was the name of Elrond's brother in canon! Did PJ seriously think that we wouldn't notice that? I don't know if Elros was a common name among the elves but it still seems kind of lazy for them to borrow the name of an existing character rather than make one up themselves. Even the fans have enough sense not to borrow names for their OCs. Meraell's name wasn't borrowed, uh, kind of. Any similarities between his name and any canon characters' are coincidental. By the way, Meraell's name means **Wishing Well** (or **Lake of Wishes,** or **Pool of Wishes,** if you want to be more literal) in Elvish. I can't remember if it's Sindarin or Quenya, though.

 **Sindarin translation:**

 _*Bain calan, mellon-nin_ =Good day, my friend


	44. Book II CH 20: Into Lake-town

**~Into Lake-Town~**

* * *

 _Between the realms of elves and dwarves lies a city made by Men  
Upon the surface of the lake, where the dwarves will sail again  
Beneath the shadow of the mountain where the dragon hoards his gold  
Resides the people who descended from the Men of Old_

* * *

"Watch out!" Bofur shouted when the barge came dangerously close to colliding with a large bunch of rock formations which turned out to be some ancient ruins. Thankfully, Bard was an expert at steering the vessel and he maneuvered it to go in between the ruins without even nicking it.

"What are you trying to do, drown us?" Thorin growled at Bard.

"I was born and bred on these waters, Master Dwarf." Bard responded. "If I wanted to drown you, I would not do it here."

Edlyn wasn't sure whether to be amused by that comeback, or scared by the threat that was possibly hidden within it.

"Oh, I've had enough of this lippy lake man." Dwalin said indignantly. "I say we throw him over the side and be done with him."

"Bard." Both Edlyn and Bilbo said in unison. Everyone looked at them both and they looked at each other.

"His name is Bard." Edlyn said.

"How do you know?" Bofur asked.

"Uh, we asked him." Bilbo said.

"Actually, you asked him." Edlyn corrected.

"I don't care what he calls himself, I don't like him." Dwalin said.

"We don't have to like him, we simply have to pay him." Balin replied. "Come on now lads, and lass, turn out your pockets."

They all started emptying their pockets and offering all their money and valuables. They didn't really have a whole lot to give since the elves had pretty much taken everything on then. Thankfully, Balin didn't ask Edlyn to give up her moonstone necklace since he knew how much it meant to her. While he counted the money, the healer couldn't help but overhear Dwalin whispering to Thorin and questioning whether Bard was trustworthy.

"There's, um, just one problem." Balin said when he was done counting the money. "We're ten coins short."

"Gloin. Come on." Thorin said. "Give us what you have."

"Don't look at me." Gloin said defensively. "I have been bled dry by this venture!"

He then proceeded to rant on and on about all the grief and misery this quest had put him through. However, he cut off and everyone fell silent when they all looked in the distance and saw the dark outline of a mountain through the fog. They were all so distracted by the sight of it that none of them paid any mind to Gloin as he started unloading all the valuables he had hidden on himself, which was way more than ten coins.

Edlyn stared up at the shadowy mountain in awe and wonder. It was obvious to her what it was she was looking at; Erebor. She had heard many tales of this mountain and remembered seeing it from far away while on the Carrock with Faen.

Her heartbeat quickened as she gazed at the peak, feeling a mixture of excitement and dread. It was thrilling to finally see the mountain this near after such a long journey and being so close to the end. But, there was also something very ominous about it as well. She felt a feeling of foreboding in her chest. But, was it because she knew that within those walls lay a fire-breathing dragon? Or was it...something else? She was not sure. However, she was pulled out of her trance when she turned and saw Bard approaching the company from the other end.

"The money, quick, give it to me." Bard demanded.

"We'll pay you when we get our provisions, not before." Thorin replied.

"If you value your freedom, you will do as I say." Bard said. "There are guards ahead."

They all looked ahead and saw the rooftops of Lake-town in the distance and heard the chattering of male voices which they knew were the guards. The dwarves started to get frantic and Edlyn looked at Bard.

"What are you going to do?" She asked.

"Don't worry." Bard replied. "I have a plan. Everyone, get in the barrels, quick!" All the dwarves started protesting and questioning Bard's motives. But Bard insisted. "Trust me. I have it all figured out." The dwarves continued to protest.

"Oh, for crying out loud! Just do as the man says!" Edlyn snapped.

Everyone paused at her sudden outburst, then they all started climbing into the barrels. Everyone, this is, except the young healer. As it turned out, there was one less barrel than what they needed.

"What about me?" She asked. "There isn't a barrel for me and I was barely able to fit into one of them by myself. I would never fit in with another person."

Bard paused for a moment as if he was thinking as everyone else looked at him expectantly. "That's because..." He said. "...you won't be hiding in a barrel. You'll be right here on the deck with me. Not hidden, but in plain sight."

All the dwarves started to protest again and Edlyn looked at Bard in disbelief. "Are you mad?" She said. "I'll be caught!"

"Unlike your short friends." Bard said. "You're more likely to get away with hiding in plain sight since you are of the race of Men also."

"Well yes, but don't you think that the guards will get suspicious if you bring a strange woman into town with you that you did not have with you before?" She asked.

"Ah, but see, I've already got that one figured out as well." Bard replied. "But, you have to do everything I say. Understand?"

Edlyn nodded, because honestly, she did trust him.

"First." Bard said. "Put this on over your clothes."

He handed her an old, raggedy looking dress. She shrugged and slipped the dress on over her head and over her clothes, not even questioning Bard or the reason why he had a dress on his boat.

"One more thing." Bard said. "How good are you at acting?"

Edlyn frowned slightly. "Um, pretty good, I guess. Why?"

Bard smiled as he explained to her his plan.

* * *

First, the barge stopped at a dock just outside the city. Bard started talking to another man there while Edlyn stood there in the old dress Bard made her wear, telling the rest of the company everything that Bard was doing. She relayed the information to them when she saw Bard point at them all and shake the man's hand. All the dwarves started to get upset, saying that Bard had sold them out. But they soon found out that wasn't the case when tons of fish were poured into the barrels that they were in, serving as their covers. Edlyn was glad that she was not in one of those barrels and covered in fish. Of course, she felt sorry for her friends and she knew that they were going to stink a fish for a while once they got out.

The next stop was at the toll gate. The man at the toll gate, whose name was Percy, as Edlyn found out by listening to him and Bard talk, inspected the goods on the barge. Him and Bard talked small talk as Bard handed his papers to hin, neither of them making any mention to her presence. Percy was about to give Bard's papers back to him when suddenly, an impish little man with a uni-brow stepped out of the shadows and snatched them from him.

"Not so fast." The little man said. He read the papers then looked at Bard's load. "Consignment of empty barrels from the Woodland Realm. Only, they're not empty, are they, Bard?" He threw the papers to the wind then he and the Laketown soldiers approached Bard. "If I recall correctly, you're licensed as a bargeman, not a fisherman." He grabbed one of the fish from one of the barrels and held it up in front of Bard's face.

"That's none of your business." Bard said.

"Wrong." The little man replied. "It's the Master's business, which makes it my business."

"Oh come on, Alfrid." Bard said. "Have a heart. People need to eat!"

"These fish are illegal." The little man, whom Edlyn guessed was called Alfrid, said, tossing the fish he was holding into the water.

Suddenly, he paused when he looked up and saw Edlyn standing there on the barge, obviously just becoming aware that she was there. She knew he had seen her, but she ignored him and gazed off into the distance, pretending to be captivated by the city itself.

"Bard, who's that?" Alfrid asked.

"Hm?" Bard said. He looked over and saw that Alfrid was looking at Edlyn. "Oh, uh, I don't know her name. I found her wandering by the riverbank; an obvious runaway. But from where, I do not know."

"Always the do gooder doing good, aren't you, Bard?" Alfrid said, still looking at her. "Bring her over here."

Bard sighed then whistled at Edlyn. She immediately turned and looked at him and Alfrid. "Come." Bard said, motioning to her to come. She picked up the act and hesitated, giving Bard an unsure look. "Don't be afraid." Bard said softly. "It's alright. I'm right here."

Very slowly, she walked forward and grabbed Bard's arm, clinging to him like a frightened child.

"What's your name?" Alfrid asked her.

Edlyn said nothing.

"She can't speak, Alfrid." Bard said. "She's a mute. Hence the reason why I haven't learned her name yet."

"Huh." Alfrid said, gazing at her with a repulsively fascinated look on his face.

Edlyn didn't care for the way he was looking at her at all and it took every ounce of her strength for her not to slap him in the face for the thoughts that she knew were in his head right now.

"Tell you what." Alfrid said to Bard. "I'll pardon you for the fish and let you through with your cargo. All you have to do is leave this lovely little thing here with me." He kept looking at Edlyn with that same look in his eyes.

She wanted to slap him. She wanted to slap him so badly.

Bard looked at her then at Alfrid. "Um, that's not really a good idea, Alfrid."

"Why not?" Alfrid said, moving closer. "You already have two daughters in your home. I don't see why you need another beautiful woman there also. Let me take her off your hands."

Alfrid reached forward like he was about to touch the healer in some way. If she was behaving like herself, she would have slapped his hand and called him a pig. But, instead, in accordance to the act, she frantically jumped away from him and hid behind Bard, making Alfrid pull back.

"Shh, shh. Easy." Bard said, pretending to calm her. He then turned to Alfrid. "She doesn't like being touched. I think she was abused in the home she was in before, which explains why she ran away in the first place. Anyway, it took me a long time to win her trust and right now, I'm the only person that she'll let near her."

"Very well." Alfrid said. "You can keep her. But these fish are still illegal. Empty the barrels over the side." He ordered the soldiers.

The soldiers started to do as they were told and Edlyn looked at Bard worriedly. Bard tried to reason with Alfrid, pleading for the people's poor, hungry state, but Alfrid was indifferent. However, it wasn't until Bard mentioned the possible threat of rioting among the people of Lake-town upon hearing of their food getting dumped into the water that Alfrid finally caved. He ordered the soldiers to stop and they did, and just in time, too. Alfrid reluctantly let them go through.

"The Master has his eye on you." Alfrid said to Bard as he sailed through. "You'd do well to remember. We know where you live."

"It's a small town, Alfrid." Bard replied. "Everyone knows where everyone lives."

Edlyn smirked slightly at that, all the while trying to ignore Alfrid who was eyeing her as they sailed off. It wasn't until they were long out of his sight that she finally was able to drop the act.

"Wow." She said, staring off in the direction from which they came.

"I know." Bard said. "He's a real piece of work, isn't he?"

"Indeed." She said. "Who is he again?"

"Alfrid. The Master of Lake-town's right hand man." Bard said. "A real slimy character."

"I noticed." Edlyn said, making Bard smile.

* * *

Once they were inside the city, Bard docked his barge at a dock and started dumping the fish... and the dwarves out of the barrels. Edlyn helped him, but she was more careful as to not hurt her friends. They let her help them, but they wouldn't let Bard touch them at all, which made her chuckle. After that, Bard gave the dock keeper a coin and all the fish in exchange for his silence. With Bard's help, and the help of the citizens of Lake-town, they were able to sneak through the winding maze of alleyways of the city without being seen by the guards.

Suddenly, they were approached by a young man, no more than 14 years of age, whom they soon learned was Bard's son, Bain. He told them that their house was being watched so they had to sneak in another way. Edlyn, herself, was able to enter Bard's house without trouble, but the dwarves and Bilbo had to climb in through the toilets. Needless to say, they all reeked afterwards. Edlyn felt bad for them, but she was still thankful that she didn't have to sneak in the same manner that they did.

Once inside, they met Bard's other children, Tilda and Sigrid, his daughters. They gave them all warm blankets and drinks to take the chill off. While they all warmed themselves up, Thorin was staring out the window at a large Wind-Lance across town in shock. When Bilbo asked what was wrong, Balin explained that that same Wind-Lance that Girion, Lord of Dale, used to fire black arrows at Smaug to kill him, which he failed to do.

"Had the aim of Men been true that day, much would have been different." Thorin said.

Edlyn scoffed. "Oh yes! Because firing an arrow at a moving target is so easy, isn't it?" She said sarcastically.

Everyone paused and looked her, and she realized what she had just said.

"Sorry." She said. "That wasn't supposed to leave my head."

She looked up and was surprised to see Bard looking at her with a grateful smile before he turned to Thorin.

"You speak as if you were there." He said.

"All dwarves know the tale." Thorin replied. Nice save!

"Then you would know that Girion hit the dragon." Bain said. "He loosened a scale under the left wing. One more shot and he would have killed the beast."

Dwalin chuckled. "That's a fairy story, lad. Nothing more."

Edlyn looked down at the ground and thought about what Bain had just said. It might have been just a fairy story. But, even some fairytales are based off of reality.

"You took our money." Thorin said to Bard. "Where are the weapons?"

"Wait here." Bard said.

* * *

 **A/N** **:** Raise your hand if, like Edlyn, you wanted to slap Alfrid across the face for being a creeper. *raises hand* Believe it or not, this is just the start of the creepshow that is Alfrid. In my story, Alfrid is even worse than he is in the movies, although significantly less useless. It will get clearer in Book III. In the meantime, Alfrid will just continue to be a creep. Thankfully, if we all know Edlyn well enough by now, she won't let Alfrid anywhere near her and if he's smart, he won't even try to. Honestly though, what Alfrid does here is nothing compared to the scene with the Goblin King. *shudders*

Also, Edlyn's comment about the wind-lance was something I wanted to talk about. Everyone keeps blaming Girion for not killing Smaug, when anyone who has any kind of experience or knowledge of archery (like me) knows that firing arrows at a moving target is incredibly hard. It's hard enough with a hand-held bow or even a compact bow, so obviously trying to do it with a big, bulky, cumbersome wind-lance was no doubt freaking impossible! I fully realized this after watching CinemaSins video for _Desolation of Smaug._

Also also, I'm not sure why Bard had an old dress on his barge. Maybe it belonged to his daughter or even his wife. I honestly didn't come up with an answer. I also had a few people comment about how they thought Edlyn could get along well with Bard's daughters. However, I honestly didn't write that into the story much, at least not in Book II. But the story is still in progress so maybe it will come up later.


	45. Book II CH 21: Unexpected Outcomes

**~Unexpected Outcomes~**

* * *

The lord of silver fountains, the king of carven stone

The king beneath the mountain shall come into his own

And the bells shall ring in gladness at the mountain king's return

But all shall fail in sadness and the lake will shine and burn

-Song of the Mountain King (movie version)

-J.R.R. Tolkien

* * *

While Bard ran off to get the weapons, the rest of the company waited in the living quarters of his home.

Edlyn and Fili remained close to each other. Or, more accurately, he remained close to her. He had been that way ever since they were reunited. She completely understood and she shared his feelings. She didn't want to be anywhere but close to him after so long of being separated. However, the closeness didn't last because Thorin called Fili and Kili over to have a quiet conversation with them and Edlyn was forced to sit alone for a bit while the three of them and Balin had their little private talk. Of course, nothing was ever really private around her and her bad habit of eavesdropping took over.

"Tomorrow begins the last days of Autumn." Thorin said.

"Durin's day falls morn after next." Balin said. "We must reach the mountain before then."

"And if we do not?" Kili asked. "If we fail to find the hidden door by that time?"

"Then this quest has been for nothing." Fili said.

Those words made the young healer nervous and for the first time, she feared the possibility of failure. They all had just one chance to get into that mountain and if they failed, they would never get that chance again. She prayed that they would succeed because she wanted this quest to be completed. She had become so invested in it and had become so attached to these dwarves, not just Fili. This company had become like another family to her. Whatever emotions they felt or trials they experienced were hers as well. She shared their joy, their sorrow, their fears, their courage, their success and their failure. And to fail was the last thing she wanted to do right now.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Bard returned with the weapons he had promised. However, when he laid them on the table, they saw that they were not the kind of weapons they had hoped for. They were hand-made tools, like pike-hooks and hammers crafted for fishermen and smiths of the town, not real weapons. Edlyn was a bit disappointed to see them there instead of swords and axes, but she figured that it was better than nothing. The dwarves, however, were not so accepting.

"We paid you for weapons." Gloin said. "Iron forged swords and axes!" The rest of the dwarves started chiming in and protesting as well.

"You won't find better outside the city armory." Bard said. "All iron forged weapons are held there under lock and key."

Edlyn looked up and saw Dwalin and Thorin looking at each other with thoughtful glances and it didn't take her long to figure out what they were planning. Balin caught on to it too and tried to dissuade Thorin, telling him to just take what they were given and leave now. But Bard told them that they were going to have to wait until nightfall since there were spies everywhere, always watching. Edlyn exchanged glances with Fili and the others and non-verbally confirmed their plan.

* * *

"Tauriel, may I please have my weapons back?"

"For the fifth time, Meraell, no."

Meraell let out an annoyed sigh as he and Tauriel tracked the orcs along the river. "Look, I know that you don't completely trust me yet, and I praise you for having excellent instincts, but I swear I'm not going to hurt you. I would never consider hurting one of my own race. Besides, I've grown too fond of you to do that."

Tauriel turned and smiled at him. "Well, thank you. I've grown fond of you too. But not so much so that I am willing to trust you enough to give your weapons back to you. If we encounter any orcs, then you may have them back for safety reasons, but not before." With that, she turned and continued walking.

"Stubborn female." Meraell muttered under his breath. "So tell me, Tauriel." He said as he trotted to catch up to her. "What is _your_ reason for following the orcs? You already know my reason but I would like to know yours. Of what importance are those dwarves to you?"

Tauriel paused a moment before answering. "They were under my charge so they are my responsibility. I just cannot let those orcs kill my prisoners."

"You hesitated." Meraell said intuitively. "That's not the real reason, is it? It may be part of the reason, but it's not the whole reason. You're following them for another purpose. What is it?"

Tauriel did not answer. Meraell looked at her for a moment.

"You wouldn't by any chance be following them for a similar reason to mine, only with a dwarf, would you?" He asked.

Tauriel said nothing, but the look on her face betrayed her.

"It is!" Meraell said with a grin. "You've fallen for one of those dwarves, haven't you?"

Tauriel cleared her throat before continuing forward without a word.

Meraell shook his head. "An elf and a dwarf, now, there's an unusual love story. I never would have taken you to be the type who is attracted to short, bearded men."

Tauriel rolled her eyes. "Are all elves from Imladris as annoying as you?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

"Not all." Meraell replied. "Only the best ones are." His face was serious when he said it, but she knew he was just joking. The two of them shared a smile after a few moments. "And don't worry; I won't tell anyone about your little crush. No pun intended."

Tauriel smiled and the two of them continued on their hunt for the orcs.

"However..." Meraell continued. "It seems a little extreme for you to betray your kin and your king for one dwarf."

Tauriel's smile faded slightly. "Extreme, yes." She answered. "But if I remember correctly you did a similar thing with the young woman you're following."

Meraell inhaled sharply and nodded. "It was similar, in a sense. However, it wasn't necessarily a betrayal. Nevertheless, I don't regret my choice."

"Nor do I." Tauriel said. Meraell nodded again and a silence fell over them both as they continued on their hunt.

After a while, they came to a rocky promontory on the edge of the river where they found the mutilated corpses of some deer that the orcs had left behind; a sign that they were on the right track. In the distance, the city of Lake-town was visible.

As they stood there, they both heard something behind them. The two of them looked at each other and exchanged a nod. Because he had no weapons on him, Meraell was prepared to leap out of the way as Tauriel whipped around and crouched on the ground with her arrow nocked to her bow, pointing it directly at her supposed attacker. However, they both paused when they saw Legolas standing behind them with his bow also drawn.

 _ **"I thought you were an orc."**_ Tauriel said.

 _ **"If I were an orc, you would be dead."**_ Legolas said as he and Tauriel lowered their bows.

 _ **"And so would I, unless I had my weapons."**_ Meraell said, looking at Tauriel.

Legolas ignored him. "Tauriel, you cannot hunt thirty orcs on your own."

"But I'm not on my own." Tauriel said.

Legolas smiled. "You knew I would come." Tauriel smiled.

Meraell cleared his throat. "Um, excuse me, I'm standing right here. Therefore she's not on her own at all. I'm with her. I always have been."

"You don't count." Legolas said.

"Oh, so I'm imaginary now?" Meraell said.

"No." Legolas said. "We just don't trust you."

Meraell threw his arms out. "Neither of you do! When will you folks realize that I have no intention of hurting you? And I'm certainly not some sort of useless third wheel."

"Why did you bring him along with you and not me?" Legolas asked Tauriel.

"Because you would have tried to stop me." Tauriel said.

"And I threatened to expose her little venture unless she took me with her." Meraell said. "So she really had no choice."

"Please stop talking." Legolas said, making Meraell raise his eyebrows and hold his hands up defensively. The prince then turned to Tauriel. "The king is angry, Tauriel. For 600 years, my father has protected you, favored you. You defied his orders; you betrayed his trust."

"He has a point." Meraell said. Legolas shushed him and he frowned in response.

 _ **"Come back with me."**_ Legolas said to Tauriel. _**"He will forgive you."**_

 _ **"But I will not."**_ Tauriel replied. _**"If I go back, I will not forgive myself."**_

Meraell looked awkwardly between Legolas and Tauriel. "This sounds like a private matter that does not concern me." He said. "I think I'll just go." He turned to leave.

"Don't move." Tauriel said.

"Alright." Meraell said, quickly returning to his spot. "I'll just stand here and be invisible then."

"The king has never let orc-filth from our lands," Tauriel said to Legolas, ignoring Meraell's remark. "Yet he would let this orc-pack cross our borders and kill our prisoners."

Meraell quietly listened with a thoughtful look on his face.

"It is not our fight." Legolas said.

"It _is_ our fight." Tauriel replied. "It will not end here. With every victory, this evil will grow. If your father has his way, we will do nothing. We will hide within our walls, live our lives away from the light and let darkness descend. Are we not part of this world? Tell me, _mellon,_ when did we let evil become stronger than us?"

Meraell shrugged. "Now _she_ has a point, your highness." He said. Legolas looked at him then at Tauriel with a conflicted expression on his face.

* * *

That night, the company put their plan into action. It was a very straightforward plan; sneak into the armory, take some weapons, then slip out of Lake-town without being seen. Simple, right?

Well, not so much.

As with any plan, there is always the possibility of some unexpected obstacle playing a role. With their plan, the obstacle came in the form of Kili's injured leg, which started causing problem for him in the middle of the whole venture. Turns out, injured legs and stairs don't mix well, as everyone discovered when Kili's leg caused him to fall down a flight a stairs with a crash. Needless to say, the noise woke pretty much the entire city and it didn't take long for the guards to catch the company and take them before the Master of Lake-town.

It was snowing a bit when the company found themselves standing in front of the Master's house. Upon learning of how they had tried to steal weapons from the armory, the Master, a not-so attractive, heavy set man, and his slimy assistant, Alfrid (whom Edlyn knew from before with a nauseating recollection) accused them all of being nothing more than a bunch of mercenaries.

"Hold your tongue." Dwalin said. "You do not know to whom you speak. This is no common criminal; this is Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror!" He motioned to Thorin.

Edlyn pinched the bridge of her nose. So much for remaining discreet.

On that cue, Thorin stepped forward. "We are the dwarves of Erebor. And we have come to reclaim our homeland." He said.

All the townsfolk started whispering among themselves in shock. Edlyn stood next to Fili who was watching over Kili and they all looked around at the people as they whispered secretly around them.

"I remember this town and the great days of old." Thorin continued. "Fleets of boats, filled with silks and fine gems. This was no forsaken town on a lake! This was the center of all trade in the North." He spoke with an earnest enthusiasm that drew nods of agreement from the people. "I would see those days returned." Thorin said. "I will relight the great forges of the dwarves and send wealth and riches flowing once more from the halls of Erebor!" His words ignited a loud cheer from the crowd as the Master look on thoughtfully.

"Death! That is what you will bring upon us." called out a voice.

Everyone turned and saw Bard making his way to the front of the crowd.

"Dragon-fire and ruin." Bard continued. "If you awaken that beast, it will destroy us all." At his words, the people started whispering anxiously.

"You can listen to this naysayer." Thorin said. "But I promise you this; if we succeed, all will share in the wealth of the mountain. You will have enough gold to rebuild Esgaroth ten times over!" The crowd immediately erupted into applause.

"And why should we take you on your word, eh?" Alfrid asked, causing the crowd to quiet down. "We don't know nothing about you. Who here can vouch for your character?"

There was a silence that seemed to go on for ages. Edlyn looked around, being very surprised that none of the dwarves were speaking up for Thorin, not even Fili and Kili or even Balin. She was half tempted to speak up on his behalf, but Bilbo beat her to it.

"Me." the halfling said, raising his hand. "I'll vouch for him." Thorin looked at him in surprise that was replaced with admiration. "Now, I have traveled far with these dwarves through great danger." Bilbo said. "And if Thorin Oakenshield gives his word, then he will keep it."

"I second that." Edlyn spoke up, causing everyone's eyes to turn to her. Her heart thundered hard in her chest at all the attention she got as she spoke. "I too have traveled many miles with these dwarves. Thorin Oakenshield will honor his word; he always does."

Thorin stared at her in complete awe. She looked at him and gave him a wink which drew a smirk out of him. Everyone else looked at her in surprise, especially Alfrid, whose jaw was hanging open when he heard her speak.

"And yes, Alfrid," she said to him. "I _can_ speak."

"Well, that seems legitimate." The Master said. The crowd started cheering at that.

"All of you! Listen to me!" Bard said. "You must listen! Have you forgotten what happened to Dale?!" Everyone in the crowd became somber and quiet. "Have you forgotten those who died in the firestorm?! And for what purpose? The blind ambition of a mountain-king so riven by greed, he could not see beyond his own desire!" He looked at Thorin angrily, who shared his gaze.

"Now, now." The Master said to Bard. "We must not, any of us, be too quick to lay blame. Let us not forget that it was Girion, Lord of Dale, your ancestor, who failed to kill the beast!"

Edlyn looked at Bard in shock, so did Thorin and everyone else in the company. Bard simply looked down in shame.

"It is true, sire." Alfrid said. "We all know the story: arrow after arrow he shot, each one missing its mark." The crowd started shouting angrily at Bard.

Edlyn looked at Fili. "Why does everyone think that firing arrows at a moving target is easy?" she asked him. He just shrugged.

Bard walked up to Thorin. "You have no right, no right to enter that mountain!" he said.

"I have the only right." Thorin replied. He turned to the Master of Lake-town. "I speak to the Master of the men of the Lake. Will you see the prophecy fulfilled? Will you share in the great wealth of our people?" There was a pause as everyone watched and waited in anticipation for the Master's reply. "What say you?" Thorin asked.

The Master stood there for several seconds, mulling over everything that Thorin said before answering.

"And I say unto you..." he said. "...welcome! Welcome and thrice welcome, King under the Mountain!"

He threw his arms open in a welcoming gesture and everyone cheered. The company all smiled, all of them happy that they no longer had to hide and that they had the peoples' approval and their help.

Edlyn looked over at Bard and saw him silently watching the crowd rejoice with a grim look on his face and it troubled her, to be honest. Although she was happy that the company now had the peoples' support and would be able to complete the quest, she still couldn't shake that dark feeling of foreboding that still lingered in her chest.

She just hoped that everything Bard said didn't ever come to pass.

* * *

 **A/N** **:** I know that it seems like I am glossing over Kili's wound a bit, even though there are two healers present. Well, there is a reason for that, other than the fact that it happened in the films. I will say ahead of time that Edlyn will not be paying that much attention to Kili for the next several chapters and the reason will be revealed later (a bit of a Hint Hint Wink Wink right there). Also, you'll see that Oin won't be doing much with Kili either. Again, the reason will be revealed later. So please, be patient until then.

Also, sassy Meraell is sassy! Like I said, I put way too much Loki into him.


	46. Book II CH 22: Bilbo's Secret

**A/N** **:** Like earlier, this chapter contains an extended scene and it will be outlined by a double asterisk (**). This extended scene was supposed to be attached to the previous chapter but I decided to attach it to this one since it wasn't long enough. Also, be prepared for a twist in this chapter.

* * *

 **~Bilbo's Secret~**

* * *

 _Tell me, little hobbit, about this secret that you hold  
What's this thing within your pocket, that shines and glints of gold?  
Tell me about your Precious that can veil you from our eyes  
Such a tiny, simple thing that holds great evil in disguise_

* * *

**~Meanwhile, on the borders of Mirkwood~

 _ **"I've lost the trail!"**_

Meraell and Legolas both stopped when they heard what Tauriel had just announced. "What do you mean 'you lost the trail'?" Meraell asked.

"The tracks have disappeared." Tauriel replied.

Meraell rolled his eyes slightly as Legolas let out a sigh. Tauriel looked at her two companions with a look that reflected embarrassment and lowered her eyes for a moment before looking back up at them. The two other elves looked at her expectantly.

"What are you planning on doing now?" Legolas asked her.

Tauriel looked at him. "Well, clearly I have no choice but to scout up ahead and see if I can locate the trail again."

Legolas looked down, realizing that he had just asked a bit of an obvious question. Meraell looked back and forth between the two of them before nodding quickly.

"That sounds reasonable." he said in an attempt to break up the somewhat awkward silence.

Legolas looked at him silently and Tauriel nodded before turning to go scout up ahead.

"Would you like me to come with you?" Legolas asked, taking a step forward.

Tauriel turned around. "No, I can do it myself."

"Are you sure?" Legolas asked. It was clear he did not want to let her to go alone.

"Yes." Tauriel replied, slightly annoyed. "You two just stay here."

She then turned and walked off to search for the trail before Legolas could say anything more. The elven prince made a move to follow her when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Meraell smirking at him.

"Let her go, _mellon_." he said. "She is perfectly capable of doing it herself. Besides, you need to stay here and make sure I don't try to escape, because I will."

Legolas looked at him for a moment then rolled his eyes at Meraell's stab at humor while the latter smiled at him.

"Very well." Legolas replied as he reluctantly leaned against a nearby tree, casting a somewhat anxious look in the direction that Tauriel had disappeared.

Meraell leaned against a tree just across from the elven prince and crossed his arms as the two of them waited for the she-elf to return. There was a short silence as Meraell watched Legolas with an amused smirk at the prince's frequent impatient glances in the direction which Tauriel had gone.

"You're very protective of her, aren't you, your highness?" Meraell asked suddenly.

Legolas head snapped sharply in his direction and his striking blue eyes stared into Meraell's vibrant green ones, admittedly, knocking the breath out of him for a second.

"Yes," Legolas said after a pause. "And as you can see, she doesn't particularly care for it."

"Why are you so protective of her?" Meraell asked.

"Because I care about her, why else?" Legolas said, as if it was obvious.

"I can see that." Meraell replied. "I was just wondering how far that caring goes." He raised his eyebrows at the prince in a suggestive manner and Legolas cocked his with a tilt of the head.

"I'm not in love with her, if that's what you're implying." Legolas answered. Meraell raised his eyebrows again, this time with a hint of surprise as his body straightened.

"You're not?" He asked.

"No." Legolas said plainly. "You sound just everyone else. Everyone thinks that just because I spend so much time with Tauriel and am constantly keeping my eyes on her means I'm in love with her. Even my own father believes it. But that's not the case at all. I love Tauriel, yes, but as a brother would love a sister."

Meraell watched Legolas as he spoke and was both surprised and slightly embarrassed to see sincerity in his eyes. Legolas was telling the truth.

"I don't have any other brothers or sisters of my own." Legolas continued. "My parents were unable to have any more children before my mother-"

He cut off and a pained expression crossed his face. Meraell understood where the sentence was going and decided to let it go.

"When my father took Tauriel in, it was the first time I ever had anyone that I could look after; the first time I ever had anyone I could call a brother or sister." Legolas said. "I saw her as my sister even though we were not linked by blood. She became my best friend for the past six hundred years and like any brother would be, I was afraid of losing her, the way my mother was lost. I still am. That's why I'm always trying to protect her. I love her and I don't want her to get hurt, or worse."

Meraell smiled softly. "There is nothing wrong with that, _mellon_." He said. "I understand your reasons. I have no siblings of my own either but I do have a young cousin who is as close to me as a sister would be. Like you, I am as protective of her as you are of Tauriel."

"What's her name?" Legolas asked.

"Silmalia." Meraell answered. "She has such a bright spirit, so full of life."

He smiled fondly, clearly letting some memory of his cousin flicker across his mind. When he looked up, he was pleasantly surprised to see Legolas smiling slightly at him. The two of them stood there for a moment exchanging fond looks.

"I learned over time though-" Meraell continued. "-that as much as I'd like to protect her from every hurt that life has to offer, there are times when I should take a step back and let her experience things on her own. And I would advise the same thing for you with Tauriel, your highness."

Legolas looked at Meraell with a curious frown before letting out a sigh. "I know. I have told myself that many times. I do try to give her space but it is hard when all I want to do is keep her close. As I said, I don't want her to get hurt in any way. And that proves difficult now given this whole situation with the dwarf."

"You know about that?" Meraell asked.

"You mean that Tauriel seems to be smitten with one of the dwarves in Thorin Oakenshield's company?" Legolas asked. "Yes, I do know about that. Don't ask me how, though." Meraell cocked an eyebrow but Legolas ignored him. "What am I supposed to do about something like that? I know that Tauriel, as much as anyone, deserves to find love and be happy. But...a dwarf? It's absurd!"

"You're right, it is." Meraell answered. "But that doesn't mean it can't happen. We all know that the Valar have predestined a soul mate for all of us, and who are we to deny anyone the opportunity to find theirs?"

Legolas looked at him in disbelief. "Do you really think that this...dwarf...is Tauriel's soul mate?"

Meraell chuckled and shrugged. "I honestly don't know, _mellon_. Nobody does. Remember, Beren and Luthien didn't know and theirs was indeed a strange love. Granted, an elf and a dwarf would be even stranger but still, don't count it out just yet."

"Elves and dwarves haven't really gotten along at all since the beginning." Legolas said. "I don't think it's even possible for an elf and a dwarf to be friends."

"Anyone can be friends," Meraell replied. "Even an elf and a dwarf."

"What if this dwarf doesn't end up being her soul mate?" Legolas asked. "What if she ends up getting hurt?"

"Well, you're just going to have to let her figure that out herself." Meraell replied. "True, it is a risk and she will get hurt if it doesn't turn out to be true. I should know; I went through a similar experience." He paused and lowered his eyes to the ground for a moment before looking back up at the elven prince. "And sometimes experience is the best teacher, even if it is one of the most difficult ones."

Legolas looked at Meraell for a moment before turning his head to ponder what he had just said.

"Don't be a stupid prince." Meraell said, causing Legolas to turn sharply and looked at him with a stunned expression at hearing him say those words to him. "Just let Tauriel live her life and make decisions on her own, no matter what the consequences may be. She will learn and grow better that way. You can't always be there to protect her so let her have some experience so she can be more prepared. Understand?"

Legolas nodded slowly and a short silence fell over them both. The silence was then broken by approaching footsteps and the two elves turned to see their third companion come bounding through the underbrush.

"I found the trail!" Tauriel announced enthusiastically.

"Excellent!" Legolas said as he and Meraell approached her. The elven prince gave her a smile. "Good work."

Tauriel smiled and looked at Meraell who gave her an approving nod before the three of them turn and followed the trail that lead right to Lake-Town.**

* * *

The following night, on the eve of Durin's Day, the people of Lake-town threw a wonderful feast to honor the return of the mountain king, his journey, and his promise of vast riches. All that day, the company had been treated like honored guests, were given some proper clothes to wear, and even rooms at the local inn.

The feast itself was an extravagant affair, even coming from people who lived in such humble living conditions. There was plenty of food for everyone, even Bombur. And, much to the joy and elation of all the dwarves, especially Bofur, there was plenty to drink. Edlyn watched as he downed one pint of ale after another and spewed out endless dwarven songs in a row as he danced on the table with everyone clapping along, all the while shaking her head knowing the terrible hangover he would experience on the morrow.

Everyone, especially all the children, listened with fascination and awe as Balin shared old tales of Thorin in wars so many years ago as well as the stories he shared of their adventures on the journey. However, they were more fascinated by the stories Edlyn shared of her misadventures after being separated from the company in the Misty Mountains. The children were transfixed when she talked about Faen and the adults shook their heads, not fully believing her. However, once she pulled out her feather and showed it to them, they stopped questioning her. At one point during her storytelling, Edlyn looked over and saw Thorin looking directly at her with a fond glint in his eye. She was a bit taken aback by it. Nevertheless, she gave him a light nod which he returned.

"Alright, alright, move, you little urchins." Alfrid said, suddenly coming forward and shooing the children away once Edlyn was finished. "Story time's over. The lady's tired. Go on! Shoo!" The children did as they were told, but not before giving Alfrid some glares and sticking their tongues out at him, which Alfrid responded to in the same manner.

"On the contrary, Alfrid," Edlyn said with slight annoyance. "I'm not tired. And besides, I found the storytelling very relaxing."

Alfrid gave her a weird smile, showing off his yellow teeth. "Of course, miss. I was just trying to be considerate of your feelings." She gave him a halfhearted smirk as he looked at her from head to foot with that same look in his eyes from before. "So, uh, you're from Rohan?" He asked.

The healer looked at him with a frown and nodded. Fili, meanwhile, was looking after Kili when he turned and saw Edlyn's little interaction with Alfrid. His jaw clenched when he saw the way Alfrid was looking at her.

"I've heard that the women from Rohan are among the fairest," Alfrid said. "And I can see that those stories are true."

Edlyn rolled her eyes when she saw the look on Alfrid's face and she wanted to slap it right off of him. She probably would have if Fili hadn't suddenly intervened.

"With all due respect, good sir," Fili said. "It would be best if you left her alone."

"Fili, please." Edlyn said softly. "Don't." Although she appreciated the gesture, she was in no mood to have him get into a fight over her honor. She could easily take care of herself.

"I meant no offense, Master Dwarf." Alfrid said. "I was just paying the lady a compliment, that's all." He gave Fili a slight sneer then turned to Edlyn. "I also heard that women from Rohan are very fiery. Perhaps you wouldn't mind showing me a little of that later."

Edlyn was still facing Fili when he said that. As soon as he did, she and Fili exchanged a shocked look. She closed her eyes and shook her head in disbelief.

 _"Seriously?"_ she thought to herself. _"Did he seriously just go there?"_

She turned and looked at Alfrid. "Women from Rohan also have no tolerance for pigs!" she said sternly. "So please, keep your hands to yourself if you wish to keep them a little longer!"

Alfrid gave her a sour look and backed away with his hands raised defensively before finally turning and leaving completely. Edlyn just shook her head in complete disbelief.

"Unbelievable!" she said. She turned to Fili and saw him looking at her in awe. "What?" she asked.

"I love you, so much." he said with a smile. Edlyn blushed slightly as she smiled back at him.

"Oh, just kiss her already, brother!" Kili shouted from across the room with a voice that leaked of irritation.

Kili had been ornery most of the evening and Edlyn knew it was because of his injured leg. Her and Oin have been trying to take care of him but he kept being stubborn. He was always insisting that he was fine and just needed to rest. Of course, had she not been constantly sought after by the people of the town, whether for stories or advice, Edlyn would have made sure that he cooperated. But, since she was always distracted, she was forced to leave that duty to Oin. She just hoped he would be able to take care of it.

Edlyn and Fili rolled their eyes at Kili's sarcastic request but nevertheless complied, especially after pretty much everyone in the room started chanting repeatedly for the two of them to kiss. So, they really had no choice. The kiss was passionate, but awkward because of the height difference. Thus, halfway through, Fili pulled Edlyn down to her knees to make it more comfortable for both of them. The kiss was soon followed by the entire room erupting into loud cheers and wolf calls. Alfrid sneered while the children all reacted in exaggerated disgust.

Afterwards, Edlyn and Fili went their separate ways with smiles on their faces. Fili went to check on Kili while Edlyn went to talk to Bilbo privately; for there was something she had been meaning to ask him. She found the halfling sitting not that far from Thorin and she gently told him that she wanted to talk to him in private. He was confused but nevertheless followed her as she led him out away from the festivities and into the hallway. But, not before catching Thorin's eye on their way out.

* * *

"Edlyn, what is it?" Bilbo asked once the two of them had made it into the hall.

Edlyn looked around to make sure no one was around to hear before answering him. "I have something I want to ask you about, Bilbo; something that has been bothering me since Mirkwood."

"Alright, what is it?" the halfling inquired.

"When we were in the forest and we were fighting the spiders, what happened?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Bilbo asked.

"I think you already know." she said. Bilbo looked confused, so she continued. "One moment you were there then the next, you just vanished! It was like magic! Don't think I didn't see that. You just disappeared right before my eyes!" Bilbo's started getting nervous and she knew she had him cornered. Now, she just needed to get him to cave. "Now, I don't know what it was, but I have a feeling that whatever it was had something to do with how you managed to slip past the elven guards unnoticed and free us."

Bilbo gave her a nervous laugh. "T-that was just stealth, Edlyn. I am a burglar after all. And burglars need to be stealthy."

"Bilbo," Edlyn said with a sigh. "Nobody alive is _that_ stealthy. Not even a tiny hobbit like yourself." Bilbo cleared his throat and looked down at his feet. "And I know that it certainly wasn't stealth that made you disappear into thin air in the woods. That was something else entirely; something unnatural." Bilbo was silent as he continued to stare at the ground. So, she decided to trick him. "Did Gandalf teach you some sort of cloaking spell or something?"

"Yes, Yes, that's exactly it." Bilbo said quickly. "Just a little spell that Gandalf taught me. Nothing else, I swear."

Edlyn pursed her lips with a nod then leaned down until she was at Bilbo's eye level as one would when talking to a child. "You know something, Bilbo? Whenever you're nervous or, in this case, lying, your nose crinkles. Did you know that?" Bilbo shook his head and turned a deep red. Edlyn smirked and straightened up. "Now, since there is no way you can lie to me without getting caught, you might as well tell me the truth."

"I-I don't think I should." Bilbo said hesitantly.

The young healer's gaze softened. "Bilbo," she said. "You know I'm not going to stop nagging you until you do." Bilbo said nothing. "Now, whatever it is that you are hiding, if you wish for it to remain a secret, I'll keep it so."

Bilbo hesitated for a moment before finally caving. "Alright," he said. "I'll tell you. But you have to promise that you won't tell anyone." Edlyn nodded with the utmost sincerity and Bilbo relaxed a bit. "Here it goes. When we were in the goblin caves, I got separated from the company and I encountered a...creature. Not a goblin or anything; I don't know what he was. He dwelt deep in the darkness of the tunnel, far away from and unknown to the goblins, I think. Anyway, I got trapped by him and he was going to eat me whole. But, I managed to escape after I tricked him in a game of riddles."

Edlyn just stood there and listened in complete awe of what he said.

"In the process, I sort of took something from him, something of his that I found." Bilbo continued. "It was a ring; a magic ring." Edlyn raised her eyebrows. "Whenever I put it on, I become invisible. However, the more I do, the more I look at it, the more I feel this burning need for it. It's like the ring is mine and I don't want anyone else to have it or even touch it. In fact, sometimes I feel like killing anyone who dares try and take it from me!"

His tone and demeanor suddenly became very grave and it troubled the human. Then, Bilbo reached into his pocket and pulled something out. He opened his hand to reveal a simple gold ring, the one he spoke of, she guessed.

"I have never showed anyone this before or even told anyone about it, not even Gandalf." he said. "You're the first to know of this."

But, Edlyn did not hear anything Bilbo said. In fact, she didn't hear any sound, or see anything or smell anything surrounding her. Every sight, sound, smell, even emotion, suddenly became blurry and distant around her. The only thing she saw...was the ring in Bilbo's hand.

She couldn't take her eyes off of it. It was only a simple ring with no jewels or fine stones on it; just a simple ring, apparently made out of gold. Yet, she found herself drawn to it. The world around her seemed to fade to black and fall silent, leaving the ring the only thing that remained. Even Bilbo didn't seem to be there anymore. The ring was all she saw. Its golden shine glowed brighter than anything, pulling her closer to it. It looked so beautiful, so tempting, so... _precious._

Then, Edlyn heard it speaking to her, whispering to her in some unknown language in a deep voice that sounded sinister and dark, yet alluring. She heard it calling her name.

 _"Edlyn."_

The voice hissed out her name with the echo of a curse and a charm. She, however, felt no fear or hesitation. All she felt was a desire, an endless need for it; a need for the ring. She wanted it! Oh, how she wanted the ring! She needed it! She needed...the precious! Why did Bilbo have it? It should be hers! It _must_ be hers! It will be hers!

"What are you doing?!"

Bilbo's sharp voice yanked Edlyn violently out of the trance she had been absorbed in. When she finally woke up from it, she became aware that her hand was outstretched towards the ring, almost as if she was trying to take it right out of Bilbo's hand. Strange; she had no memory of ever doing that. She honestly had no memory of anything that had happened in the last few moments. It was all a blur in her mind. Edlyn pulled her hand back and Bilbo looked at her with a threatening glare.

"You can't have it!" he snapped as he quickly put the ring back in his pocket. His tone was dark and possessive. "It's mine, do you hear?! Mine! I will kill you if you try to take it from me!"

Edlyn stared at Bilbo in complete shock. This was something she had never heard from him before, nor expected. And it frightened her.

"Bilbo..." she said, entirely at a loss for words.

Bilbo's dark glare immediately dissolved and he clapped his hand over his mouth with remorse and horror in his eyes. "Edlyn, I-I'm sorry! I-I don't know what came over me!"

"Nor do I." she said, casting her eyes to the floor. There was an uncomfortable silence between them for the next couple moments.

Edlyn's mind was still reeling from what had just happened. Whatever it was left her feeling confused, troubled and even scared. That dark feeling in her chest had become more profound and she knew that none of this was right; none of this was natural. There was something...evil about it. She did not know for sure. She just wished that Gandalf was here; he'd know what to do about it.

Edlyn looked at Bilbo. "I, uh, think it's best if this remained between us." she said at length. Bilbo simply nodded as another silence fell over them. This time, it was broken by Bilbo.

"You best be getting back." he said. "They'll be wondering where you are."

Edlyn nodded then slowly turned and walked back into other room. When she made it to the doorway, she paused and turned to Bilbo who had not moved an inch.

"Bilbo?" she said. The hobbit turned and looked at her. "Be careful with that thing. The ring, I mean. Please be careful with it. I have a bad feeling about it."

Bilbo silently nodded as Edlyn turned and made her way back into the other room.

* * *

 **A/N** **:** I know that the extended scene was not as exciting as the last one. I really just wrote it to establish what the nature of Legolas and Tauriel's relationship will be in my story. I hated the whole love triangle that they put in the movie so I got rid of it. I always thought it was more appropriate for Legolas and Tauriel to have a brother-sister type relationship since Thranduil had been raising Tauriel for 600 years. I don't see what was wrong with Legolas seeing her as more of a little sister. Why did they have to turn him into a lovesick puppy? Ain't nobody got time for dat drama!

By the way, did you guys notice…..?

" **Anyone can be friends," Meraell replied. "Even an elf and a dwarf."**

*wink*

Also, did you guys catch the name of Meraell's cousin? Sound familiar? No? Go back to Rivendell and see.

And, as you can see, part of the reason for Edlyn not taking care of Kili as much as she should is a combination of him being a stubborn little cupcake and the townsfolk being needy and curious. So she's just too distracted. Oin has a similar problem as well, as we'll see later. Plus, there will be other things pulling her attention. Don't expect too much from her all the time, please. She's only human.


	47. Book II CH 23: An Unspoken Confession

**A/N** **:** Be prepared for another twist in this chapter too.

Also, in the author's notes at the end of the previous chapter I pointed out that moment when Meraell made the comment to Legolas about elves and dwarves being friends (complete with a wink to emphasize it). Well, one of my readers commented and said she didn't understand what I meant. I wasn't able to reply to her because she was signed in under a Guest account so I will just give my answer to her here.

When Meraell said those words to Legolas, he was (unaware of what he was doing, of course) foreshadowing Legolas' eventual friendship with Gimli.

I put that there deliberately because I was trying to be clever. I assumed it was obvious and I apologize to anyone who was confused by it.

* * *

 **~An Unspoken Confession~**

* * *

The eyes are the windows to the soul, they say

But keep them closed tight, or they'll give you away

For even one who keeps his heart locked up well

Will reveal more than he wants to or even dares tell

* * *

Edlyn rejoined Fili and the others in the dining hall where the feast was taking place. She tried to focus on the festivities and enjoy herself.

But the incident with the ring still lingered in her mind and rattled her soul. It had cast a dark shadow over her that was unsettling and made it difficult for her to pay attention to what was going on, especially when Bilbo walked back into the room. The two of them made eye contact and exchanged a grim look. They could easily see that they were both still haunted by what had happened and it made it a bit uncomfortable for them to look at each other.

Finally, Edlyn decided that she needed to get away from the crowd and the noise and have some time to herself to clear her head. She told Fili that she needed some time alone and was going to slip outside for a bit to get some air. He gave her a bit of a worried look yet nodded his head to show his understanding. Edlyn quietly made her way out the door as everyone else laughed, drank and celebrated.

As she did, Thorin, Fili and Bilbo watched her leave with curious and concerned eyes.

However, only one of them ended up eventually following her.

* * *

Once outside, Edlyn stood on one of the many wooden balconies that every house in this town had. The sounds of the celebration rang faintly from the inside of the building and she could easily hear Bofur's loud, drunken voice belting out some dwarven song at the top of his lungs. It made her smile a bit to know that the company was enjoying themselves.

The balcony she was on encircled the establishment in an L shape and she wandered slowly around the corner and made her way to the other end. Far in the distance, she saw the shadowy outline of Erebor silhouetted against the moon, looking regal yet ominous. She leaned against the railing and stared out at the mighty mountain. She felt a chill pass through her body and leave goosebumps all over her skin as her eyes beheld the great kingdom. It was a strange thing; they had traveled so far and had been through many dangers just to reach that mountain. But now that they were this close to it, Edlyn wasn't sure if she even wanted to go anywhere near it. The sight of it was somewhat unsettling. Not as unsettling as what happened with the ring, but...

Edlyn shook her head to try and clear it. She needed to stop thinking about the ring. The whole reason why she came out here in the first place was to forget about it. She decided to distract herself by singing softly; or, more likely, humming. She started humming that same lullaby that she used to sing to Silver; the same song that she sang the first night her and Fili spoke to each other. It had been her favorite since she was a little girl; Deovan had always sung it to her when she had trouble sleeping. He didn't have the best voice, but at least he tried. And the emotion was always there so regardless, that song always had a calming effect on her which, even now, helped a bit. She smiled slightly at the thought despite the silent ache in her heart, for the memory of her brother was always a bittersweet one.

Just then, Edlyn heard the sound of heavy footsteps and creaking boards behind her and felt someone watching her. However, she didn't even have to turn around to know who it was since by now she had learned how to recognize the sound of the footfalls of all the members of the company. And these footsteps were as unique as the dwarf they belonged to.

"You're a long way from the celebration, Oh Great Mountain King," she said with a smirk.

Her teasing remark was soon responded to by a deep, husky chuckle that only belonged to one dwarf.

"Nothing gets past you, does it?" Thorin said.

"Nothing should by now," Edlyn replied before turning and looking at him. "What are you doing out here? You are the Mountain King, after all, and it's very unorthodox for the guest of honor to leave his own party."

"Even the guest of honor needs to get away from the crowd sometimes," Thorin said. Edlyn smiled and nodded. "Is it alright if I join you?" he asked.

"You are most welcome to," she said. Thorin gave her a nod then walked forward to stand next to her by the rail.

"And what are you doing out here, if you don't mind me asking?" he asked.

"Like you, I was escaping the crowd," she said.

Thorin nodded thoughtfully. "This sudden desire for isolation wouldn't by any chance have anything to do with your private talk with Mister Baggins, would it?" Edlyn looked at Thorin in surprise. "I saw you and him sneak out before," he added.

Edlyn shifted on her spot. She knew that this was something that was best kept secret. However, she couldn't lie to Thorin, not again. She nearly lost his trust completely the last time she did that. But she just couldn't tell him the truth this time. She had promised Bilbo she wouldn't. So, she just had to find the right words to say that reflected honesty without revealing anything.

"Um, that is a private matter that I'd rather not discuss with you, or anyone," she said. It was a weak excuse, and she realized how it sounded when she saw Thorin give her a questioning look. "Don't worry. It was nothing like _that_ ," she replied.

"You know I already told you once that I can tolerate keeping secrets to an extent." Thorin said.

Edlyn sighed. "And I'm telling you now; this is a matter that does not concern you." Her voice was soft yet firm. She tried to speak respectfully to Thorin since he was a king; or, future king anyway.

"I'm sorry," she continued. "But this is one secret I cannot tell, not even to you. It is not mine to share. And it would be better for everyone if you just let it go. Maybe one day, you will hear it. But for now, it's best that we focus on the task at hand." She turned and pointed to Erebor. Thorin nodded in understanding. "Believe me; I wouldn't be saying this if I didn't care about you."

Thorin looked at her with raised eyebrows. "You care about me?"

Edlyn looked at him curiously. "Of course I do. I consider you a friend." Thorin exhaled at that part, which caused her to frown. "We are friends, aren't we, unless that title is too personal for you?"

Thorin was silent for a moment before answering. "No, it isn't. You and I are friends." He sounded unsure and it worried the young healer. She hoped she hadn't offended him by saying that.

"Are you sure it's alright?" she asked.

Thorin nodded and turned, looking out towards Erebor. Edlyn did the same and a silence fell over them. Edlyn leaned against the rail as her and Thorin stared out at the mountain. Every once in a while, she felt Thorin's eyes upon her, if only temporarily, but she pretended not to notice, instead choosing to break the silence.

"You know, I'm beginning to see why it's called the Lonely Mountain," she said with a thoughtful tilt of the head. Thorin looked up at her curiously.

"It looks so isolated up there," she continued. "All by itself, with nothing but the moon to keep it company." She looked at Thorin with a soft smile. "Then again, the moon is always a lonely soul and could use someone to keep her company every once in a while."

Edlyn looked at Thorin again and saw him looking at her with an amused smirk. She cleared her throat and turned away to hide her blush, feeling foolish about saying such silly things in front of Thorin. He simply shook his head and looked back out towards the mountain.

"What was it like, Thorin?" Edlyn asked suddenly. Thorin look at her questioningly. "Erebor," she answered. "What was it like all those years ago, if you don't mind me asking?"

Thorin smiled fondly. "I don't mind." he said. "It was...magnificent! But even to say that would not do it justice. In fact, no words exist that could ever do it justice. The kingdom was alive! The forges were lit, sending warmth though the veins of the mountain. Torches all aglow, filling the halls with color and light. The sound of our people, the people of Durin, filling the air with laughter, cheering, shouting and love. And my grandfather seated upon his throne, watching over his people and his kingdom. Say what you like about him but Thror was a great king, when he was sane."

Thorin appeared to be miles away as he spoke and Edlyn smiled fondly. "I'm sure he was," she said. Thorin turned and looked at her. "And you will be a great king too."

Thorin smiled and Edlyn felt her cheeks heat up. It was strange to her how she had no problem insulting people that she didn't like, but whenever she paid a compliment to someone she did like, she felt embarrassed about it sometimes. Also, this was Thorin; he hardly ever smiled. So, it was always a rare and breathtaking thing when he did. He really did have a nice smile and the fact that it was a result of something she said made her feel both pleased and self-conscious at the same time. Not to mention that the last time she and Thorin spoke privately was when he was angry with her for lying to him. So this lighter, softer air between them was something that she wasn't used to.

Clearing her throat again, Edlyn once more turned and looked out towards the mountain.

"Master Redd used to tell me stories about Erebor," she said. "He had only been there once when he was passing through Dale, but he remembered it clearly. He would tell me and his other students about it and I would always imagine what it was like to be there, walking through its halls. Just to feel the color, the light and the warmth and listen to the sounds of life in the mountain and hear its heartbeat beneath my feet. Just to be able to touch its smooth, stone walls and experience the echo of its song move through me, making my blood race and my soul soar." She stopped herself when she realized that she was getting carried away. All the while, Thorin stared at her in awe. "Of course, my imagination probably pales in comparison to what it was like to actually be there. Still, I would love to have seen it."

"You will," Thorin said. "When we take back the mountain from that worm, we will restore it to its former glory. And you will be there to see it; we all will."

Edlyn smiled. "I hope so. I have always dreamed of seeing the mountain when it was alive." She smirked. "Of course, the real challenge won't be defeating Smaug but trying to get his foul stench out of Erebor's halls once he's gone."

Thorin chuckled. "You are an amazing woman." he said.

Edlyn paused, having been taken off guard by that compliment.

"I mean that." Thorin continued. "I know that I have never said it, but I do value you contribution to the quest. Your role as part of the company and your gifts that you have willingly given are very much appreciated. And..." his expression fell slightly. "...I am glad that you are back with us. You have such a tremendous impact on everyone in the company and all those weeks when we thought you were lost were very hard for us all. We all grieved for you, some more than others."

Edlyn swallowed the lump in her throat. "Yes, I am aware of how hard it was for Fili during that time," she said.

"I'm not talking about Fili." Thorin said suddenly. There was a hint of bitterness in his voice. Edlyn stopped and looked at Thorin with a frown. Thorin didn't speak at all as he stared at her, his icy blue eyes looking deeply into hers.

But, he didn't have to say anything, for his eyes said more than either of them would have liked.

She saw a look in his eyes that she had never seen from him before, although the look itself was all too familiar to her. It was the look of a person who desired something, or in this case, someone, that they knew they could never have. She had seen that look before, in Meraell's eyes. She remembered seeing it in the elf's eyes whenever he looked at her. And now, the exact same thing was happening with Thorin as he also looked at her.

Edlyn's jaw fell open and her hand clapped over her mouth as she turned away. This realization hit her like a stone brick to the chest. First Meraell and now Thorin? How many more hearts was she going to have to break on this quest? She really did not know what it was about her that had all these men admiring her. It was beyond her. Thorin's gaze fell when he knew that his eyes had betrayed his heart. He had confessed his feelings without even saying a word.

"I-I didn't know," Edlyn said. "I'm sorry."

"As am I." Thorin said. "We will speak of this to no one, do you hear? Especially not Fili."

Wonderful! Another secret! What an evening this is turning out to be!

"Are you mad?" she replied. "Of course not!"

There was silence before Thorin spoke again. "Go inside, Edlyn," he said. "Forget this ever happened."

Edlyn bit her lip. "I'm sorry, Thorin." she said without looking at him.

"Don't be," he said flatly. "Just go."

Edlyn inhaled loudly and nodded, not even saying a word as she obeyed and went back inside. Thorin gripped the rail tight as he listened to the sound of her footsteps fade into the echo of the celebration. Once he could no longer hear the sound, he hung his head then looked back up at the lonely silhouette of the mountain.

For the rest of the evening, Edlyn stayed close to Fili, not wanting to leave his side. It was really hard for her to enjoy the evening after everything that happened. Once Thorin returned to the festivities, he didn't make eye contact with her at all. It was like he was trying to avoid it. Edlyn wasn't sure whether that meant he was angry with himself for accidentally revealing his feelings, or angry at her for not reciprocating. Either way, it made her feel guilty and uncomfortable.

At least the tension between her and Bilbo had lifted a bit. He even smiled at her once, which made some of the weight on her chest slide off. Nevertheless, she soon decided that she had had enough and left to retire for bed. This time, it was Fili who followed her, joining her in her room at the inn.

And that was where the two of them spent their first night together the way lovers normally do; in each other's arms, wrapped in ecstasy and passion.

* * *

 **A/N** **:** I realize that I kind of slipped Edlyn into the Sue arena a bit with this whole thing with Thorin. Multiple admirers are usually a common trait of a Mary Sue. Thankfully, Fili, Thorin and Meraell are the only major ones. Fili is the primary and Meraell's relationship with her will soon taper off into a deep friendship (thank God!). As for Thorin, well, I'm still trying to decide what his ultimate fate will be. Yes, I am contemplating possibly going with Tolkien's end for him. But it's not set in stone yet so don't fret right now. Regardless, Thorin's feelings for Edlyn may end up as Meraell's feelings will be, eventually, no matter what end he will have. In the meantime, they may cause some problems later. Let's just say that unrequited feelings and dragon sickness don't mix well, at all.

Also, a little warning: as the last line of this chapter hints at, the next chapter will involve Fili and Edlyn making love for the first time, so…yeah, just so you know what's coming. *winks*


	48. BookII CH24:The Lion and the Nightingale

**A/N:** A massive warning; as I mentioned at the end of the previous chapter, this is the chapter where Fili and Edlyn make love for the first time. That means that obviously this chapter will contain nudity and sexual content. So, if you're not into that sort of stuff, feel free to just skip over this chapter. Or at least read the first half where nothing really happens.

However, should you choose to continue, I will say that you have my readers over at DA to thank for this lovely piece of smut right here. When I wrote the original story I wasn't sure if I should write an intimate scene since I had never written anything like that before and I was nervous about doing so. So I put up a poll and asked my readers if I should write the scene. No surprise, almost all my readers voted a big fat YES. So in the end I wrote it and as an added bonus, I posted it on Valentine's Day! They were all thrilled and I was pleased with how it turned out. So here it is for you guys to enjoy as well.

P.S. I am sorry for the excess of dialogue.

* * *

 **~The Lion and the Nightingale~**

* * *

 _The fountains mingle with the river,_

 _And the river with the ocean;_

 _The winds of Heaven mix forever,_

 _With a sweet emotion;_

 _Nothing in the world is single;_

 _All things by a law divine_

 _In one another's being mingle;_

 _Why not I with thine?_

-Percy Bysshe Shelly, "Love's Philosophy"

* * *

Edlyn went back to her room at the inn. It was a medium size room with a queen size bed that she believed was intended for a couple. However, thanks to the rest of the company, pretty much every other room was taken so she had no choice but to sleep there. She had no reason to complain; it was wonderful to sleep in a real bed for once.

Once Edlyn got back to her room, she closed the door and went over to light the fire in the fireplace before sitting down on the bed to remove her boots. After that, she then removed her coat, then her vest, then her tunic. She took off her moonstone necklace and placed it on the side table before untying the cloth that bound her breasts, letting out a soft gasp of relief as they were freed from their bindings. She slipped off her trousers, leaving herself temporarily nude before putting on the white, wool nightgown that the people of Lake-town had given her. The young healer sat by the fire for a long while, just watching the flames dance around as she sat there contemplating everything that had happened that evening. Just then, there was a knock on the door. Edlyn paused for a moment. Who would be visiting her at this hour?

"Yes? Who is it?" she called. She turned just as the door opened and Fili walked in. He was only wearing a tunic, trousers and boots. "Fili?" Edlyn said. "What are you doing here?"

Fili paused when he saw her wearing the nightgown. "Oh, uh, sorry." he said, blushing slightly. "I, uh, was just wondering if you were all right. You left very early. Alfrid wasn't giving you trouble, was he?" Edlyn could hear the sneer in his voice.

She laughed. "Oh, don't worry about Alfrid. I could easily take care of him myself. You know that." Fili smiled, since he knew that was true. She let out a sigh. "Truthfully, I've just had a very interesting evening and I needed to rest. But it's nothing you need to worry about."

"Alright," Fili said. "I was also wondering if you would...I mean, is it alright if I...kept you company tonight."

Edlyn gave him a questioning look. "Really? Are you sure?" she asked. "Don't you want to spend the night with Kili and look after him?"

"Kili is fine." Fili answered. "He has Oin with him. Or, at least, he should, anyway. He doesn't like that people are babying him all the time right now, so he didn't let me stay with him. Besides, I want to be with you tonight." Edlyn smiled at that. "Especially since..." He paused and lowered his eyes. "...you and I haven't slept side by side since that night in the goblin caves."

She frowned. "My goodness, has it really been that long?" He nodded. "Wow," she said thoughtfully before she looked at him with a sweet smile. "Well, in that case, you are more than welcome to spend the night with me. Just give me a moment."

Edlyn then walked over to the fireplace and put some more wood on the fire. Behind her, she heard the sound of Fili closing the door and the faint click of him locking it. She smirked, taking a guess of what that might mean. When she turned, Fili was sitting on the edge of the bed removing his boots. She walked over, sat herself down on the bed and scooted back until she was leaning against the headboard. Fili eventually made his way to her side and started running his fingers through her hair.

"Can I braid your hair?" he asked.

Edlyn looked at him in surprise. "Um, there's not a whole lot of hair left to braid."

"I'll make do." he said.

Edlyn smiled and nodded before scooting over so that Fili could kneel behind her. The two of them were both silent as he started braiding her hair. A soft smile graced her lips every time his fingers ever came in contact with her skin, whether it was when they would accidentally graze her ear or her cheek. Every time, the human would let out a small sigh as she reveled in the warmth of his touch. She felt tingly all over as she thought about the significance of hair braiding among dwarves and the intimacy of it. She could only guess where this was going.

Edlyn was so caught up in the moment that she failed to notice that she had started singing softly. And she had subconsciously chosen to start singing that same lullaby from before. Fili, of course, recognized the tune and smiled since he remembered the first time he heard the healer sing it as being the first time she captured his heart. Edlyn, however, stopped singing when she realized what she was doing.

"Please don't stop, my nightingale," Fili said softly. "I told you that you have a beautiful voice."

Edlyn blushed a bit at the new nickname. "Are you sure?" she asked. "My voice isn't bothering you, is it?"

"Never. Your voice could never bother me." Fili said as he finished braiding the last braid in her hair, using a piece of string instead of a bead to secure it since he didn't have any. "There," he said.

Edlyn reached up and ran her fingers along the braid. "Thank you," she said.

She twisted her neck to turn and look at him. He smiled at her before placing his fingers under her chin and kissing her softly. She reached her hand up to cup his cheek, turning her body so she was facing him, all the while never breaking the kiss. Eventually, Edlyn pulled away and looked at him.

"Now," she said. "Do you mind telling me why you locked the door?" She already knew the answer, but she wanted to hear him say it.

"Alright," Fili said, taking a deep breath as Edlyn waited intently. "You and I have slept side by side before," he said. "But we've never...made love."

Edlyn nodded. "And that's what you're proposing tonight?"

"If you don't want to, I understand," Fili said.

The healer didn't say a word as she looked at the dwarf with a tilt of her head before leaning forward and kissing him deeply. Fili recognized this as Edlyn's non-verbal way of accepting the proposal and he returned the kiss with even more passion as he instinctively lowered her down onto the pillow so he was on top of her. Just then, the realization of what he was about to do sank in for him, and she noticed.

"Fili, you're shaking," Edlyn said. "What's the matter? Are you nervous?"

Fili gave her a bit of an anxious look. "That's an understatement," he said.

"Have you ever done this before?" she asked. Fili looked down and shook his head. "First time?" she asked with a smile. Fili swallowed and nodded. "It's all right," Edlyn said. "Everyone has their first time, Fili. It's nothing to be ashamed of. And don't worry. If you're afraid that you can't do it, don't be. I'll guide you."

Fili cocked an eyebrow. "Have you ever done this before?" he asked.

Edlyn sighed. "Yes, I have; twice, actually."

"Twice?" Fili said, giving her a slightly hurt look. "With who?"

"That's not important right now."

"Was it Meraell?"

"No," Edlyn said simply. "I already told you that there was nothing between Meraell and I. He never touched me like that, nor would he ever."

"Well then, who was it?" Fili asked again.

Edlyn looked at him. "Alright, if you must know, I'll tell you."

She sat up, allowing Fili to push himself up and sit in front of her.

"You don't know him," Edlyn said. "And to be honest, I didn't know him that well either. It happened years ago. I had just turned 17. It was not long after Deovan died."

Fili looked down, remembering the story she had told him about what happened to her brother.

"I didn't handle his death well," Edlyn continued. "After it happened, I went through a time in my life where I was...difficult. I defied my parents, my elders and I did whatever I wanted to do. Anyway, there was this young man I met; a traveler, passing through Snowbourne. His name was Gregor or Gregory, I can't really remember. He was about 21 years old. I was with him for a little while, and we...made love a couple times." She shrugged. "But, he was a traveler; they never stay in one place for too long. Anyway, he left and I never saw him again. And I've remained celibate ever since."

Fili sat there and silently listened to her story. "Did you love him?" He asked quietly, turning his eyes away.

Edlyn smiled and put her hand on his cheek to turn his gaze to her.

"No," she said. "I didn't. In fact, giving myself over to him was one of the biggest regrets of my life. Deovan always said that if I was ever going to break my vows with someone before marriage, it had to be with someone I loved. After doing what I did, I was so ashamed of myself. I felt like I had let my brother and my family down. It was a mistake."

"Is this a mistake, you and I?" Fili asked.

"If it was, I wouldn't have said yes," Edlyn replied. "What you and I have is no mistake. This is right. I can feel it."

Fili's gaze softened and Edlyn saw love radiating in his eyes. He leaned forward and kissed her with a passion as he once again lowered her onto the pillow with himself on top of her and in between her legs. He broke the kiss when she started to pull his tunic up over his head, completely removing it and tossing it aside with his help. She ran her hands over his bare chest, across his thick yet chiseled torso and broad shoulders, all the while smiling with satisfaction. Fili was blushing at the attention she was giving him and she was pleased that she was able to invoke that kind of response from him. He leaned down and started kissing her neck since he knew how much she loved it.

"I missed you," he whispered in her ear. "All that time apart, thinking I had lost you; all those cold nights alone. I almost didn't survive."

Edlyn bit her lip as remorse clenched within her chest. "I'm so sorry, Fili," she whispered.

He raised his head and rested his forehead against hers. "Don't think about it," he said. "Don't think about any of it. Tonight, let's just forget about everything."

The healer nodded in agreement because that was all she wanted to do. She wanted to forget the world; let it all just fade into a black blur around her, along with all the fear, despair, doubt and danger that she knew loomed everywhere they went. She didn't want to see or feel anything but him, the beautiful, golden-haired dwarf in her arms; her lion. She didn't want anything but him right now.

Fili seemed to read her mind and responded to it by kissing her deeply, his lips dancing around with hers as his hands trailed down her arms and the curves of her body until he started pulling her nightgown up over her head. She raised her hips then her arms to allow him to slip the nightgown completely off of her and toss it aside, leaving her entirely naked before him.

Fili paused for a moment to gaze upon Edlyn, his sea blue eyes scanning her now nude body. She saw his cheeks flush and she blushed also even though this wasn't the first time she had exposed herself to a man. She realized that this was, most likely, Fili's first time ever seeing a woman naked in person. The fact that she was his first made her feel both proud and self-conscious about whether he would find her beautiful enough since dwarves' view of beauty was different than humans. However, all her doubt and worry disappeared when she looked at him and saw that he was smiling with a mixture of love and desire glistening in his eyes.

"You're beautiful," he said.

He leaned forward and started slowly kissing down her neck, down her collarbone, then in between her breasts. Edlyn was surprised at how bold he was being considering that it was his first time. His trail of kisses lead down to her stomach where he paused for a moment, his breath and mustache tickling her navel. Edlyn smiled and bit her lip to stifle her laughter.

"What?" Fili asked.

"I'm sorry, Fili," Edlyn said. "But you know how ticklish I am."

Fili smirked with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Don't tempt me," he said.

"If you try anything, I swear I'll kick you!" the healer said with a glare.

Fili just chuckled then leaned forward again so he was lying on top of her and started, not just kissing her neck, but biting and nipping it too. He found that sweet spot on her neck and started sucking on it, making her moan with pure bliss. The sound of Edlyn's moans was causing Fili to become aroused and she could feel it right through his trousers. Her hands trailed down his torso until they found the waistline of his pants. Fili paused when he realized what she was doing and she noticed his hesitation.

"It's all right," she whispered reassuringly.

He nodded then slowly let her slip his trousers off and toss them aside, freeing his very profound arousal. They both looked down and saw just how heavy it was and Fili blushed a bit at being so naked and 'exposed' in front of her. He tried to hide his blush by kissing her more as he lay on top of her. This went on for over a minute.

Edlyn was well aware that Fili was hesitating and she had a good idea why, but this was ridiculous! She knew he was ready; she could feel it rubbing against her stomach. It was tantalizing! She wasn't going to let this go on for much longer so she broke the kiss and in one swift movement, grabbed Fili by the shoulders, flipped him over onto his back and pinned him down. Fili was completely taken off guard by this sudden and strong act on Edlyn's part and he stared at her in surprise.

"Fili, what are you doing?" Edlyn asked. "Are you teasing me? Because I don't like being teased."

"I'm not teasing you," Fili said with sincerity.

"Well then, why are you being timid?" she asked. Fili turned his eyes away. "Are you afraid that you won't be able to do it? I told you that I would guide you."

"It's not that," he said. "It's just..." He paused. "...I'm afraid I'm going to hurt you."

The healer smiled. "Is that all?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Fili." She said with a sigh. "If you let something small like that stop you, you're never going to get anything done in life."

Fili still looked unsure.

"You know what?" she said. "If you're so nervous about it, why don't you let me take the lead?"

"What?" Fili said with a start when Edlyn pushed herself up until she was kneeling next to him.

"Trust me on this," she said.

Fili didn't protest anymore. He just remained lying on his back as Edlyn swung her leg across his body until she was kneeling over him, facing him with one leg on either side of him. The two of them locked eyes, preparing themselves for what they were about to do. Eventually, Fili gave Edlyn a nod as a signal for her to proceed and they both held their breath as she gently lowered herself onto him.

A moan escaped Edlyn's lips and she threw her head back when she felt him inside her, filling her. As soon as he felt himself go in, Fili gasped and arched his back, gripping the bed sheets tightly. She felt a little pain, but she expected that as her body adjusted to him. Nevertheless, it made her eyes water and Fili's own eyes filled with concern when he saw the tears in hers. Edlyn just smiled and leaned down, kissing him softly for reassurance.

"Just relax," she said when she broke away. "And let me do all the work."

Fili nodded and Edlyn took both his hands and placed them on her waist. She straightened up and gently started moving her hips back and forth, up and down, riding him slowly to get him used to the feeling. She had never done it this way before, so it took her a while to finally get the right rhythm. Once she did, she felt that amazing, unbearable burning sensation building up within her. And she knew Fili felt it too when his grip on her waist got tighter. She put her hands on his chest and slowly started picking up her pace, her movements as graceful as if she was performing a dance. Her loud moans of ecstasy rang out and mingled with the moans of the young Durin prince as if the two of them were singing a duet together.

Fili's mind had gone completely blank as soon as Edlyn started moving her hips. His eyes rolled back as the speed of her movements increased, driving him insane. He had never felt anything like this before. He had only ever done this with himself in the past, never with another person. And it was different, so very different; so much more wonderful, and maddening. Every movement of hers sent that beautiful sensation pulsing through his body and he could feel the fire burning at his core.

But it wasn't just the fire of ecstasy he felt; it was also the fire of the Durin blood within him. He always tried to keep that fire contained inside, unlike his brother who let it out freely and his uncle who let it out on occasion. Fili always managed to keep it hidden behind his usually quiet and reserved personality. However, sometimes during times of anger, fear, distress or passion, that fire always found its way out. And now, with the ecstasy coursing through his body and his desire and love for the young healer swelling up in his heart, that fire became more than Fili could contain.

Without a word, he put his hand behind her neck and his other hand under her knee and flipped her over onto her back with himself still inside her. Edlyn let out a surprised gasp when her head hit the pillow and she found herself underneath Fili now. Before she even had a chance to question his sudden and unexpected change in behavior, Fili wrapped his arm under her shoulder and kissed her hard with a fiery passion that she had never seen from him before, barely giving her a moment to breathe. As he did, he hooked his right hand under her thigh and started thrusting deep into her, first starting out slow then gradually increasing his speed until he was practically hammering her.

Edlyn saw stars and her moans got louder and higher as she buried her face against his shoulder. Fili was none too quiet either, moaning and growling loudly with each thrust, all the while with a wild look in his eyes. This was a side of himself that no one, not even he had seen before. It was like his personality had changed from one extreme to another. He was no longer a scared, timid kitten anymore. Now, he was a lion; a king of beasts, claiming his lioness with all the fire and majesty and grace that a king should. And she was powerless to resist, not that she wanted to. Every movement of his sent a shock-wave through her that was unbearably wonderful and just kept building.

And building.

And building.

And building.

Finally, it hit its grand finale in an explosion of color and stars. Edlyn was the first to hit her peak, feeling that earthquake of pleasure rattling her entire being, accentuated by her loud, high-pitched moan. Fili followed moments after, letting out a loud groan like a lion's roar as he released inside her. After that, his movements slowed down significantly and became uneven as the two of them clung onto each other, sweating and trembling as the effects of their climax wore off. Finally, Fili's arms, which he had been using for support, gave out from under him. He removed himself from her and collapsed on the bed by her side. For several moments, they just remained there in silence, panting and content in their waning state of bliss.

"You liar!" Edlyn said when she finally caught her breath. "You told me you've never done it before."

"I haven't," Fili replied hoarsely, himself still out of breath.

"Well, you could have fooled me," Edlyn said with a chuckle. "What on earth happened? One moment, you were hesitating, and then the next, you couldn't stop."

"I don't know." Fili said, putting his hand over his eyes. "I don't know what came over me. It just...happened."

"Well, please give me a little warning next time it "just happens", alright?" she said with a smile.

Fili nodded with his hand still over his eyes as he inhaled through his nose.

"Fili? Fili, are you all right?" Edlyn asked when she heard the sound of him sniffling.

Fili removed his hand from his eyes and looked at her. Right away, she saw the tears.

"That was...amazing!" he said. "You're so amazing! I've never..."

He cut off and put both his hands over his face to try and compose himself. Edlyn was shocked! She didn't think dwarves were the type of creatures to get emotionally overwhelmed about stuff often, not even with their first time. Nevertheless, she reached over and wrapped her arms around Fili and pulled him into a tight embrace. He put his arms around her and rested his head on her chest. She placed her chin on the top of his head and they held each other close.

"Shh, shh, don't cry," she said as she started wiping some tears from Fili's cheeks that had escaped from his eyes. "You were wonderful. You did so well, my lion."

She ran her fingers through his beautiful, golden mane and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. Fili was silent for several minutes as the two of them held onto each other.

"Sing for me, my nightingale. Please?" Fili asked. Edlyn hummed positively in response before she softly started soothing him with her lullaby.

 _Lay down your head and I'll sing you a lullaby_

 _Back to the years of loo-lee-lie-lay_

 _And I'll sing you to sleep and I'll sing you tomorrow_

 _Bless you with love for the road that you go_

She sang to him for a while until her soft nightingale song gently lulled her lion to sleep. Not long after, she drifted off as well, joining her lover in a peaceful slumber.

* * *

 **A/N:** I really don't want to ruin this scene by yapping about stuff. So just leave a comment or PM me if you have any questions.

 **Music:**

The song that plays during this scene is **Bound** by **Adrian von Ziegler.**

The song that Edlyn sings is **Sleepsong** by **Secret Garden.**

(songs belongs to their respective owners)


	49. Book II CH 25: I Belong with My Brother

**A/N:** There is a little bit of love-making at the beginning of this chapter, just so you know.

Also, to Sheepgirl3, two things:

1) You are correct; the song that Edlyn sang at the _beginning_ and at the _end_ of the scene was **Sleepsong,** which I just added to the last chapter's notes. However, the song that plays in the _background_ is **Bound.**

2) Since you are on a guest account I can't reply to your comments directly and it is very tedious and inconvenient for me to reply to them through my author's notes. So if you can find a way to get a real account, please do that; it would make it easier for both of us.

Same goes to all my readers who are on guest accounts: if you have questions, you might want to get a real account if you expect to get any answers from me.

* * *

 **~I Belong With My Brother~**

* * *

 _The road is long with many a winding turn_

 _That leads us to who knows where, who knows when_

 _But I am strong, strong enough to carry him_

 _He ain't heavy, he's my brother_

-The Hollies, "He ain't heavy, he's my brother"

* * *

Fili woke the next morning to the bright, glaring rays of the morning sun shining through the parted curtains, piercing his vision and waking him from a deep and peaceful sleep; like the kind of sleep one gets when they retire after a hard day's work (only better).

He looked around in slight confusion as his mind took its time figuring out where he was. He looked down and suddenly became aware that he was naked. That was when his memory came back to him and he remembered what had transpired the night before. His eyes closed and a serene smile spreads across his face as he let out a soft sigh, feeling the warmth of another lying next to him. He turned his head and looked at Edlyn's sleeping form lying beside him. As soon as he did, his breath caught in his throat, and so did his heart.

She was lying on her back with her head turned slightly towards him. She was nude with the blanket only covering her lower half. Her bare chest was gently rising and falling with each breath she took as she slept peacefully beside him. The few rays of sunlight that peeked through the curtains reflected off of her skin and hair and caused them to give off a shimmering, almost translucent glow, making her look absolutely ethereal.

For a moment, Fili couldn't even believe that she was real, let alone the fact that she had just given herself to him the night before. How could she not be a dream? How could any of this not be a dream? He did not know, nor did he care. He just lay there, propped up on one elbow and gazed down at Edlyn warmly with love in his eyes, smitten by the sight of her; smitten by her very existence.

He couldn't help himself. He reached forward and gently caressed her cheek, running his fingers through her thick, brown locks. She stirred, a slight frown forming on her face before her eyes slowly opened.

Upon waking from her deep sleep, Edlyn was immediately greeted by a familiar face with a bright, dimpled smile, clear blue eyes that glistened like the sea in the morning sun and hair that fell like a waterfall of golden sunlight down his bare shoulders. It was the most beautiful sight in the world for her to wake up to and she smiled softly at her lover as he gently caressed her cheek.

"Did I wake you?" he asked.

"Yes," she said plainly. "Not that I mind being woken up by such a wonderful sight. You look rather beautiful this morning, my lion."

"Not as beautiful as you, my nightingale," he said as he leaned forward and kissed her forehead, then her nose, and lastly her mouth, taking his time there to kiss her softly.

As he did, Edlyn's hand traveled down his bare chest until it came across a familiar scar on the right side of his abdomen. She smirked against his lips then broke the kiss. He looked down and smiled when he saw she had found his 'battle wound'.

"That's an interesting scar," she said with a glint in her eye. "How did you get it?"

"Well," he said, right before he playfully attacked her neck with a series of nips and kisses, causing her to squeal with laughter as his facial hair tickled her skin. "That's quite a story," he then proceeded to tell her the story in between each nip and kiss. "It happened...after we left Rivendell. I and my brother...and our friend, Dwalin...were out hunting...when we were attacked by twenty orcs! We fought them off heroically...and succeeded in killing most...and driving the others away...but not before their leader shot me with one of his arrows." All the while he was talking, Edlyn responded to his words with exaggerated gasps and looks of mock surprise. "I almost died," Fili continued. "But...I was saved...saved by the most beautiful maiden in all Middle Earth."

Edlyn looked at him coyly. "Wonderful story!" she said. "But I think you exaggerated that part a bit."

"Which part?" he asked.

"The part about the orcs," she replied with a smile. "I doubt there were twenty."

Fili laughed. "Alright, ten, then," he said. "But everything else is true."

Edlyn nodded in agreement and Fili paused for moment, caressing her cheek with a gentle glow in his eyes. She reached up and cupped the side of his face. He responded to this by letting out a soft sigh and leaning into her palm.

 _"Amrâlimê,"_ he said softly.

Edlyn's heartbeat quickened. This wasn't the first time that Fili had called her that. He had told her what it meant the first time he had said it. That's what she was to him; his love.

"I've never felt more certain about calling you that until now," he said.

Edlyn smiled. _"Min leof,"_ she said in the tongue of her people; the people of Rohan.

"What does that mean?" Fili asked.

"I think it means whatever _amrâlimê_ means," she said with a smirk.

Fili smiled then kissed her passionately, making her moan and fill his ears with the sound. Suddenly he broke away then moved to position himself in between her legs. Edlyn looked down and saw that he had become heavily aroused in the midst of the passion.

"Um, Fili? What are you doing?" she asked. "We're going to miss the boat."

"The boat doesn't leave for a while," Fili said. "We still have some time."

He started running his hands up and down her inner thigh and dangerously close to her folds, causing her to tremble...and ache for him.

"~Yes,~" Edlyn said in a gasp.

That was the only invitation that Fili needed. He started to kiss her stomach, then up her abdomen, between her breast, up her neck, then her lips, kissing her with fire and devotion as he entered her once more. They made love again, slower and surer this time to allow the feeling to last longer, and drive them both insane at the same time. Somehow, Fili managed to keep his inner fire suppressed a bit more than he did the previous night, even with Edlyn moaning his name repeatedly. The experience was just as beautiful the second time around, as they knew it always would be. Fili was a natural!

After they both had hit that wonderful, ecstasy induced climax, they stayed there in each other's arms with her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat and taking in his essence as they both savored each other until it was time to go. They both got up and helped each other get dressed, in an almost playful way. The clothes Edlyn wore were given to her by the people of Lake-town. They were simple and consisted of a long-sleeve beige chemise dress with a faded teal sleeveless over-wrap and belt which she wore over her trousers and boots and covered with a dark brown scarf and grey coat to keep warm in the growing coldness. Fili simply wore a light brown tunic (which was obviously made for a Man and was way too big for him) over his green one and his trousers and boots. He then covered all of it with a fur lined mantel and a couple iron shoulder guards.

Edlyn even took the time to braid Fili's hair, which she used as an excuse to steal a few nips and bites on his ears since she knew that was a sensitive spot for dwarves. She couldn't help but smirk every time it caused him to shutter or gasp.

Edlyn herself felt a little sore, which was understandable considering Fili's enthusiasm the night before. She could see that Fili was a bit sore too when she noticed him wince a bit as he sat up. But he never admitted it, which she expected. And she never asked him to.

* * *

Once the two of them were dressed, they went downstairs for breakfast before leaving. On their way out, they passed by the owner of the inn, an older man in his late fifties with white hair and a beard and deep, intelligent brown eyes, who gave them both a knowing look. Fili handed the innkeeper the keys to Edlyn's room, which apparently he had given him with an awareness of his intentions, quietly thanking him. The innkeeper gave him a wink and Edlyn's jaw fell open.

 _"So that's how he got the key to my room!"_ she thought to herself. Fili noticed the shocked expression on her face and he gave her a sheepish shrug.

Edlyn put her hands on her hips. "We'll discuss this later," she said with a smirk. She then walked over to the innkeeper. "Sorry about the noise last night."

The innkeeper shrugged. "I expected it," he said. "Just so you know, you two were much quieter than some other people have been." He gave her a wink.

Edlyn nodded then turned to leave. When she and Fili left the inn, they found the company, or most of the company, already waiting outside getting the supplies ready. Upon joining the group, they were both immediately greeted with a series of smirks, snickers and knowing glances when they noticed the courting braid in the healer's hair.

"Did you have fun last night, brother?" Kili asked with a playful glint in his eye.

Edlyn and Fili looked at each other and blushed a deep shade of red as everyone looked at them expectantly. Fili however, gave his brother a proud smirk as he gently tangled his fingers with Edlyn's.

"Yes, brother," he admitted. "As a matter of fact, we did."

His confession was soon followed by the company letting out loud whistles and wolf calls as both Dwalin and Gloin patted Fili on the back enthusiastically. Edlyn put her face in her palm to hide her utter embarrassment, in which Fili gently kissed her cheek as reassurance. She smiled at him, her face still burning. However, no one noticed Thorin clench his jaw and turn away at the announcement, not even Edlyn (or she just chose not to).

One thing she did notice however was how sickly Kili looked. His skin was almost ashen green in color and he had dark circles under his eyes. He looked ill, like he might faint and she noticed him limping. She instantly remembered his injured thigh and her healer instincts immediately kicked in. She approached Kili.

"Kili, are you feeling all right?" she asked. "You look ill."

"I'm fine," Kili answered.

"Are you sure?" she said. "You don't look well. You better let me take a look at you."

"I said I'm fine!" Kili said stubbornly, pushing her hand away. "I wish people would stop asking me that. Let's just go."

"Yes, let's." Thorin said. Kili didn't hesitate to follow him as Edlyn watched him with a perplexed look. She had a bad feeling about this so she made a point to keep a close eye on Kili.

"You do know we're one short," Bilbo said. "Where's Bofur?"

"If he is not here, we leave him behind," Thorin said.

"We have to," Balin said. "If we're to find the door before nightfall. We can risk no more delays."

Edlyn felt kind of bad about leaving Bofur behind. The poor dwarf was probably passed out drunk somewhere. She was partially tempted to go back and get him, but Balin was right; finding that door was more important. She followed the company to the pier where every single person in Lake-town was waiting to see the Mountain King off on his journey. One by one, each member of the company stepped onto the boat. However, Thorin stopped Kili before he was able get on board.

"Not you," Thorin said. "We must travel with speed, you will slow us down."

Edlyn paused before she had boarded the boat and watched the scene between Thorin and Kili with interest and concern.

Kili smiled, thinking that Thorin was joking. "What are you talking about? I'm coming with you."

"No," Thorin said simply. By this time, everyone else had taken notice of their conversation, especially Fili.

Kili's smile faded when he realized that Thorin wasn't joking. "I am going to be there when that door is opened, when we first look upon the halls of our fathers, Thorin."

"Kili," Thorin said, putting his hand on his nephew's shoulder. "Stay here. Rest. Join us when you are healed." He gave Kili a smile but the young prince just looked shocked and betrayed.

"Thorin is right, Kili," Edlyn said suddenly. Everyone turned and looked at her with frowns on their faces, even Fili. But she kept talking and paid them no mind. "It would be best if you stayed here and rested. I am sorry."

She immediately felt a pang of remorse about what she said when Kili gave her a betrayed look, like a puppy that had just been kicked. She hated it when he looked at her like that! But this was for his own good.

"I'll stay with you," she said. "It's my duty to take care of the injured. Besides, someone needs to keep an eye on you anyway so you don't get yourself into trouble."

She said the last part with a smile and placed her hand on Kili's shoulder as he turned away. But he just shrugged her hand off as they both walked away so that Kili could sit down. Edlyn knelt in front of him and gave him an apologetic look which he ignored.

"I'll stay and help the lass." Oin said as he got out of the boat. "My duty lies with the wounded." Oin made his way to Edlyn's side and knelt down in front of Kili.

"Uncle," Fili said. "We grew up on tales of the mountain. Tales you told us. You cannot take that away from him!"

"Fili," Thorin said.

"I will carry him if I must!" Fili replied.

"One day you will be king, and you will understand," Thorin said. "I cannot risk the fate of this quest for the sake of one dwarf, not even my own kin."

Fili turned and looked at Kili, Oin and Edlyn as they both examined the defiant, young dwarf before getting out of the boat.

"Fili, don't be a fool," Thorin said as he grabbed Fili's arm. "You belong with the company."

"I belong with my brother." Fili replied before pulling away and joining Edlyn, Kili and Oin.

Edlyn couldn't help but overhear everything that they had been saying and for some reason those last words that Fili said struck her. Instantly, her memory jumped back.

 _*Flashback*_

 _"Deovan! Gar, what's wrong with him?"_

 _"I don't know, Edlyn. But he needs a healer right away! You stay with him while I ride to the nearest settlement to find one."_

 _"But I don't know what to do!"_

 _"Just stay with him until I get back with the healer. He needs you right now, and your place is with your brother. I'll return as soon as I can."_

* * *

The memory was abruptly interrupted by the sudden blast of trumpets followed by the loud cheers and applause of the townspeople when the Master climbed onto the platform. Fili frowned when he noticed Edlyn jump at the sound.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

She nodded to him with a reassuring smile although she was not sure herself. She usually didn't have flashbacks like that, not even about...that incident. She hoped that it would not happen again; she really did not want to remember.

The Master gave his speech and the crowd applauded as Thorin and the others stepped into the boat and sailed off. Kili watched them leave with a miserable look on his face. Suddenly, the small group heard a familiar voice shouting for them to wait. They turned and saw Bofur pushing his way through the crowd. He stopped when he saw that he was too late and the boat had left without him. He let out a groan then paused when he saw the human and the three dwarves sitting there.

"Ah! So you missed the boat as well?" he said with a half drunken smile.

Edlyn sighed and shook her head at him but was suddenly interrupted when Kili let out a groan and keeled forward.

"Kili? Kili!" Fili said as he caught Kili before he fell over completely.

Right away, Edlyn unwrapped the bandage that bound his injured thigh. The wound looked infected as she could clearly see. Fili and everyone else looked at it in concern.

"Oh no," she said. "This is what I was afraid of. We must waste no more time; he needs medicine right away!"

* * *

The Master and his lackey, Alfrid were just walking into the Master's house when Edlyn and the others came running forward with Kili being supported by Fili and Bofur.

"Please, wait!" Fili shouted, causing the Master and Alfrid to stop. "Please, we need your help! My brother is sick!"

"Sick!?" The Master said with panic. "Is it infectious? Get back! Alfrid, get them back!"

The small group frowned at his behavior and whatever amount of distaste Edlyn had for the Master, even if slight, was increased a hundred fold at his insensitivity.

"Please," Oin pleaded. "We need medicine."

"Do I look like an apothecary?" Alfrid asked with a sneer. "Haven't we given you enough? The Master is a busy man. He hasn't got time to worry about sick dwarves. Be gone. Will you go on? Clear off!"

Edlyn didn't think it was possible to hate Alfrid any more than she already did. However, his behavior here proved her wrong; she despised him more now than she ever did. And she certainly was not going to let him just dismiss them like this!

"No, wait!" she said, pushing past the guards that had tried to grab her to escort them out and running up the stairs.

"Get back!" the Master said, causing her to stop. "Keep her away from me, Alfrid! She's probably infected as well!"

Edlyn gave him a glare then turned to Alfrid. "Please," she said, trying to keep the mixture of worry and disdain from leaking out through her voice. "I know that you're not an apothecary, but can you at least tell us where we can find one or someone who sells medicine of any kind? Please. He's my friend and he's sick. He might be dying. If you have any amount of decency in you, then please help us."

"As I said," Alfrid replied. "The Master is too busy right now. He hasn't got time for this."

"Yes but, surely you can find time for me," she said with a smile, her voice suddenly dropping to a tone that was sickeningly sweet.

It made her nauseated to hear herself attempting to charm Alfrid when in reality she found him incredibly repulsive. But it was too late to stop now. She just hoped that her efforts would work.

"Please Alfrid," she said with another flirtatious smile. "I would be forever grateful to you if you did."

Edlyn tried so hard not to throw up as she listened to the words coming out of her mouth. All the dwarves looked at each other with frowns of confusion and shock to what she was doing and Fili look up at her with an expression of disapproval.

Alfrid was a bit flustered at her sudden burst of flirting that he didn't speak for a while. It wasn't until the Master cleared his throat that Alfrid was snapped out of his stunned daze.

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing, you sneaky little vixen!" Alfrid said with a scoff. "Trying to seduce me to get what you want? Well, it won't work! Now, clear off, before I have you locked up for harassment!"

Edlyn was immediately grabbed by one of the guards and roughly led away with the others. She pulled her arm out of his grip and followed the others as they carried Kili along, who could barely stand. Once they were a good distance away, Fili turned and looked at her.

"What was THAT!?" he asked, obviously referring to her performance earlier.

"Sorry," she said. "It was the first thing I could think of. I didn't think it would hurt to try it." Those words made her feel sick and she did nothing to hide the disgust on her face.

"Are you all right, lass?" Bofur asked.

"Yes," she said. "I just...vomited in my mouth a little bit there." She looked at them. "Don't ever let me do anything like that again. Now come. We need to find someone else who will help us."

It was clear to them that the Master did not care about their welfare and had no thoughts for anyone but himself. He was not their ally so they were going to have find help somewhere else. They went to several other houses asking for help. But as soon as they heard that Kili was sick, they turned them away, some even slamming the door in their faces and muttering something about epidemics and quarantine. This went on for a long while but no one was willing to help, which both confused and worried the group, but no one more than Fili.

"Why is no one helping us!?" he said desperately, looking at Kili who appeared to be getting worse.

"I don't know," Edlyn said. "But we can't just give up. There is still one more person we can go to."

* * *

 **A/N:** I have a couple questions for you guys. First, do you think Edlyn is a Mary Sue? I have put her through a few Mary Sue tests and have gotten mostly positive results, but I still want to know what you guys think. Second, I saw in an interview where Evangeline Lilly said she had based Tauriel off of Tinker Bell, so I wanted to know who you guys think Edlyn was based off of. I didn't pick anyone in particular so I want to know who she reminds you of. It doesn't have to be a Disney character.

I also just realized how impractical it is for Oin to stay behind at this point since Edlyn already is. It probably would have made more sense for one healer to stay while the other one went with the rest of the company. Oh well, it's too late to change it now, so just bear it.

 **Khuzdul Translations:**

 _Amrâlimê_ = Love-of-mine, or My Love

 **Rohirric Translations:**

 _Min leof_ =My Beloved, or My Love

NOTE: I used the Old English translation for the Rohirric phrase since that is the language that Rohirric is based off of and there was no translation for My Love. I am not an expert on Old English and if there is anyone out there who is, please let me know if I got the sentence structure right.


End file.
